So while I await tomorrow's procedure, I am still dealing with all the normal pregnancy symptoms. Because the placenta is still functioning, it causes all my hormone levels to be normal for a pregnancy and I feel the typical nausea and fatigue. As a result, I haven't really done much of anything this week. I figured a week off would be nice (even if I couldn't be in Hilton Head as was the plan) and I'd get some things done around the house. Yeah, yeah, I should be relaxing and resting and so forth. I figured the other stuff would be a nice distraction while also getting many, many things done that I've put off for way too long. Instead the resting and doing nothing thing is what really happened (unless you count watching nonstop HGTV as doing something).
But, because of the nausea, I have to eat something every few hours in order to not feel totally sick. Today I seemed particular sickly, which made this evening a bit more challenging.
Because we went to Mass tonight, which was at 5:30, I knew I couldn't eat anything after 4:30. So I think I ate last at around 4:15 tonight. I knew I'd be okay for a couple hours, but I didn't know how long it would be before we finally got home.
So we left at 5:00 and made it to church just before 5:30. The church bells went off during communion, so I knew it was 6:00pm at that point. Mass ended and then we went to the Cathedral offices for the Anointing of the Sick.
Several people I knew were at Mass tonight and they joined us. It was great to receive this special blessing before having surgery. And it was really wonderful to be surrounded by so many wonderful people. I do feel much more at peace at the moment. I hope that feeling continues tomorrow morning!
By the time we finished up and left the church, hubby decided to stop at the grocery store thus not getting us home until 7:00. Wow, I was starving and the nausea was certainly back full steam. Luckily we had some yummy, homemade chicken-noodle soup in the fridge (thanks to a wonderful friend) and hubby made a quick salad.
Hubby was also thinking of me. Ah, isn't he sweet! The stop at Kroger was to get some strawberries and whipping cream so he could make strawberry shortcake for dessert. Dessert is definitely a good thing tonight!! And it was really good with his homemade biscuit-like shortcakes.
So I have a few hours before midnight, after which I am not allowed to have anything (not even water) until after the surgery. I've requested tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch when we get home tomorrow. And I may still have one more thing to eat tonight before heading to bed.
So far no nerves, I'll count that as a blessing. The challenges today have definitely been the nausea. The most important blessing of all was receiving the Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick and having so many wonderful people praying for us, surrounding us, bringing us dinner, and just being there for us in so many ways.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A Baby goes to Heaven
It is with much sadness that I have to write this post. I have been putting it off for several days, but finally feel that it is time to get all my thoughts out and to let everyone know what has been going on for the last week or more. I will try to be coherent in what follows, but forgive me if I start rambling.
Mu husband and I confirmed on Easter weekend this year that we were pregnant once again. We were very excited, though a little nervous as well. After two losses, it was hard to get overly excited. We waited to start telling our families until Mother's Day weekend. That weekend, we used Skype to talk with my parents and one of my sisters and share our news with them. I also called my other two siblings and shared our news with them. On that Sunday we had my husband's parents over for dinner and told them and then he called several of his siblings to share the news with them. At that point I was almost at 9 weeks. We started telling people very slowly after that over the next week or so.
Also by that time, we had already had two ultrasounds. I had seen the baby at 6 weeks and saw the heartbeat. Everything looked good. Two weeks later, at 8 weeks, I saw the high risk doctor and had another ultrasound. Again, I got to see a perfect little baby and saw and heard the heartbeat. It was beating away at 171 bpm. Everything looked great! Through all of this I was feeling the constant nausea that is common in early pregnancy (never actually getting sick, just the feelings of it) and was extremely fatigued. All good signs and the doctors were all feeling positive about what they had been able to see thus far.
On Thursday May 20 I went in for a routine appointment, hoping to hear the heartbeat one more time before leaving for our vacation two days later. Because I was at 10 weeks, 4 days, they decided to use the ultrasound machine rather than the Doppler to find the heartbeat. The Doppler apparently works better once you get past the 11th/12th week. Now, my doctor's office also had just moved to a new location and the ultrasound machines they had at this new office were new to my doctor and she wasn't 100% comfortable using it. So she started the process and got the thing working. It took a little while but she finally found the baby but was having a hard time getting the picture to zoom in. Finally she decided to get someone to help her. She came back a minute later with another doctor and decided to do an internal ultrasound instead of the external like she had tried the first time.
I have been in this situation so many times now. Once the doctor starts an ultrasound and doesn't let you see the screen there is either something wrong or they think something may be wrong. So I was watching their faces, which was not encouraging. Once we finished and the second doctor left my doctor started telling me the news. The baby had stopped growing at 9 weeks and there was no heartbeat. The placenta seemed to be functioning still and was a little larger than it should have been at that point.
After hearing all this, she gave me a moment alone to get dressed again and call my husband. He wanted to come over, but it was close to rush hour and he had never been to this new location, so I knew it would take him way too long to get from his office on the edge of the city into downtown and find where I was, near lots of construction as well. So I told him to go home and I'd meet him there. I then talked to my doctor again and she explained our three options but told me to not make any decisions, go home and she would see me again in a few days to talk more.
So this Tuesday, two days ago, hubby and I went back to talk with the doctor again. My options were one, to wait and allow the miscarriage to happen naturally; two, to take the medication (cytotec, I think it's called) which would get the miscarriage going, but I'd still miscarry at home; or three, to do a suction D&C. I'd been through a natural miscarriage once before and wasn't sure I wanted to do that again. Plus, I am further along this time then I was that first time, so the cramping would probably be worse and it would be a LOT more blood. Not really something you want to wait out. Also, since the placenta was still functioning, there was no telling how long I would have to wait. The medication would speed that process up, but it was still essentially a long process of bleeding and cramping, probably at home. So after discussing the procedure more, asking lots of questions, and discussing the risks, we decided that the D&C was the best option. I am scheduled for the D&C on Friday morning and plan on wearing my St. Gianna bracelet that a friend made for me when I go.
With the D&C we also have the opportunity to have some tests done, which would not be able to happen if I miscarried naturally. There will be some chromosome and genetic testing done. This may or may not tell us anything.
One thing they can tell us is if the baby is a boy or was possibly a girl. The boy possibility is more definite than the girl possibility. But I don't care, if they have a good guess, that's good enough for me and I will feel comfortable giving this child a name and an identity that we can remember him/her by. In addition, after some pushing on my part and my doctor having to talk to two pathology people, they agreed that the baby's remains can be given to us after the testing is done so that we can give this child a proper burial. My plan at this point is to do a simple burial ceremony. I don't know when this will happen, it could still be several weeks away. But we'll probably keep it small and intimate, mostly just family. But it will be nice for this child to be buried next to his/her brother Zachary.
Tomorrow morning I go to the hospital at 6:30am for the D&C. I'm nervous, but mostly just because I haven't been put under for anything since I was in 8th or 9th grade to get my wisdom teeth removed. I also remember how much the IV hurt going in last year when I was in the hospital with Zachary. But, I know I'll get through it. I'm going to Mass tonight and seeing a priest afterwards for the anointing. I'll have my St. Gianna medal with me as well. And of course, we have the prayers of lots and lots of family and friends.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and for all the notes, emails, FB comments and messages, and the many, many offers of help that so many have offered us. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family.
Mu husband and I confirmed on Easter weekend this year that we were pregnant once again. We were very excited, though a little nervous as well. After two losses, it was hard to get overly excited. We waited to start telling our families until Mother's Day weekend. That weekend, we used Skype to talk with my parents and one of my sisters and share our news with them. I also called my other two siblings and shared our news with them. On that Sunday we had my husband's parents over for dinner and told them and then he called several of his siblings to share the news with them. At that point I was almost at 9 weeks. We started telling people very slowly after that over the next week or so.
Also by that time, we had already had two ultrasounds. I had seen the baby at 6 weeks and saw the heartbeat. Everything looked good. Two weeks later, at 8 weeks, I saw the high risk doctor and had another ultrasound. Again, I got to see a perfect little baby and saw and heard the heartbeat. It was beating away at 171 bpm. Everything looked great! Through all of this I was feeling the constant nausea that is common in early pregnancy (never actually getting sick, just the feelings of it) and was extremely fatigued. All good signs and the doctors were all feeling positive about what they had been able to see thus far.
On Thursday May 20 I went in for a routine appointment, hoping to hear the heartbeat one more time before leaving for our vacation two days later. Because I was at 10 weeks, 4 days, they decided to use the ultrasound machine rather than the Doppler to find the heartbeat. The Doppler apparently works better once you get past the 11th/12th week. Now, my doctor's office also had just moved to a new location and the ultrasound machines they had at this new office were new to my doctor and she wasn't 100% comfortable using it. So she started the process and got the thing working. It took a little while but she finally found the baby but was having a hard time getting the picture to zoom in. Finally she decided to get someone to help her. She came back a minute later with another doctor and decided to do an internal ultrasound instead of the external like she had tried the first time.
I have been in this situation so many times now. Once the doctor starts an ultrasound and doesn't let you see the screen there is either something wrong or they think something may be wrong. So I was watching their faces, which was not encouraging. Once we finished and the second doctor left my doctor started telling me the news. The baby had stopped growing at 9 weeks and there was no heartbeat. The placenta seemed to be functioning still and was a little larger than it should have been at that point.
After hearing all this, she gave me a moment alone to get dressed again and call my husband. He wanted to come over, but it was close to rush hour and he had never been to this new location, so I knew it would take him way too long to get from his office on the edge of the city into downtown and find where I was, near lots of construction as well. So I told him to go home and I'd meet him there. I then talked to my doctor again and she explained our three options but told me to not make any decisions, go home and she would see me again in a few days to talk more.
So this Tuesday, two days ago, hubby and I went back to talk with the doctor again. My options were one, to wait and allow the miscarriage to happen naturally; two, to take the medication (cytotec, I think it's called) which would get the miscarriage going, but I'd still miscarry at home; or three, to do a suction D&C. I'd been through a natural miscarriage once before and wasn't sure I wanted to do that again. Plus, I am further along this time then I was that first time, so the cramping would probably be worse and it would be a LOT more blood. Not really something you want to wait out. Also, since the placenta was still functioning, there was no telling how long I would have to wait. The medication would speed that process up, but it was still essentially a long process of bleeding and cramping, probably at home. So after discussing the procedure more, asking lots of questions, and discussing the risks, we decided that the D&C was the best option. I am scheduled for the D&C on Friday morning and plan on wearing my St. Gianna bracelet that a friend made for me when I go.
With the D&C we also have the opportunity to have some tests done, which would not be able to happen if I miscarried naturally. There will be some chromosome and genetic testing done. This may or may not tell us anything.
One thing they can tell us is if the baby is a boy or was possibly a girl. The boy possibility is more definite than the girl possibility. But I don't care, if they have a good guess, that's good enough for me and I will feel comfortable giving this child a name and an identity that we can remember him/her by. In addition, after some pushing on my part and my doctor having to talk to two pathology people, they agreed that the baby's remains can be given to us after the testing is done so that we can give this child a proper burial. My plan at this point is to do a simple burial ceremony. I don't know when this will happen, it could still be several weeks away. But we'll probably keep it small and intimate, mostly just family. But it will be nice for this child to be buried next to his/her brother Zachary.
Tomorrow morning I go to the hospital at 6:30am for the D&C. I'm nervous, but mostly just because I haven't been put under for anything since I was in 8th or 9th grade to get my wisdom teeth removed. I also remember how much the IV hurt going in last year when I was in the hospital with Zachary. But, I know I'll get through it. I'm going to Mass tonight and seeing a priest afterwards for the anointing. I'll have my St. Gianna medal with me as well. And of course, we have the prayers of lots and lots of family and friends.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and for all the notes, emails, FB comments and messages, and the many, many offers of help that so many have offered us. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Easy Fundraiser!! Come participate!!
This Thursday (May 20) there will be an easy, easy fundraiser to help raise money for the Kentucky Memorial for the Unborn. It's easy because all you have to do is come have dinner at Chick-fil-A, bring a voucher with you, and 20% of your purchase helps the Memorial. How easy is that!? Read on for specific details.
Come to the Harrodsburg Rd. Chick-fil-A in Lexington between 5:00pm and 8:00pm on Thursday May 20. Bring the voucher pictured here (right click and save it as a jpg on your computer and then print it out). Hand in the voucher when you purchase your meal and you're done. I believe there will be people there with extra vouchers in case you forget to bring it with you.
The Memorial itself will be in Frankfort. It is being erected to recognize all the precious lives lost through miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion. It is meant to be a contemplative garden and will contain some walls with inscriptions in memory of all these children. I am hoping to eventually make a contribution so that we can have an inscription in honor of our Casey, who we lost in 2008. I would love to be able to have a place to visit and see her name for all to know that this child was loved. I have that with Zachary and would love to be able to have the same for Casey.
Please, if you can, come out tomorrow night and help support the Kentucky Memorial for the Unborn (click on the link to read more and see the plans).
Surprise Fun!!
Tuesday night we had the fun of throwing a surprise party!! It was such a great time and I'm so glad we did it!! Here's how it all went down.
A dear friend just adopted a baby from Korea. I mentioned her blog in a recent post, but once again, here is the link that details their trip to Korea, meeting their new baby for the first time, bringing him home, and a bit on the first week adjusting to all the newness, and of course the cuteness! They got back to Lexington last Tuesday evening, just a week ago.
While they were gone I talked with a few friends about doing something for her and her husband and their new son. Normally we have our small group Cursillo gathering on Tuesday evenings, so I devised a plan to convince her to come to our meeting just one week after she was back in town and to bring the baby. We would forgo the usual Cursillo format and just catch up and get a chance to meet the baby, etc. We even planned to start a half hour earlier since the baby may need to get to bed at a reasonable time.
So upon our friend's return to the States I started discussions with her to get this to all work out. In the meantime, other people we all knew had also been invited and were in on the secret. We had a few stumbling blocks, but in the end it all worked out.
I got a cake to celebrate the event from Brown's Bakery, which I highly recommend. They did a great job decorating it, it was very, very cute! I didn't get a picture, but some others people did, so I'll post a pic once I can get a copy from someone else. Several people brought some gifts and we had a really great time. My friend showed up with the baby and was definitely surprised to see everyone there. It was such a special thing to celebrate!! Especially after years of infertility struggles and years waiting on an adoption from China, it was so amazing how fast the adoption through Korea went. And now they have a beautiful baby boy to rejoice in!! It was such a fun celebration for everyone who came!
I'm so glad the whole thing worked out. There were a few moments when I thought the whole thing was going to fall through, but it came together in the end. And it was so fun to see everyone, see my friend and her husband again, meet the baby, and get to hear how things were going.
What a blessing for these two special people!! And a very fun night all around!
A dear friend just adopted a baby from Korea. I mentioned her blog in a recent post, but once again, here is the link that details their trip to Korea, meeting their new baby for the first time, bringing him home, and a bit on the first week adjusting to all the newness, and of course the cuteness! They got back to Lexington last Tuesday evening, just a week ago.
While they were gone I talked with a few friends about doing something for her and her husband and their new son. Normally we have our small group Cursillo gathering on Tuesday evenings, so I devised a plan to convince her to come to our meeting just one week after she was back in town and to bring the baby. We would forgo the usual Cursillo format and just catch up and get a chance to meet the baby, etc. We even planned to start a half hour earlier since the baby may need to get to bed at a reasonable time.
So upon our friend's return to the States I started discussions with her to get this to all work out. In the meantime, other people we all knew had also been invited and were in on the secret. We had a few stumbling blocks, but in the end it all worked out.
I got a cake to celebrate the event from Brown's Bakery, which I highly recommend. They did a great job decorating it, it was very, very cute! I didn't get a picture, but some others people did, so I'll post a pic once I can get a copy from someone else. Several people brought some gifts and we had a really great time. My friend showed up with the baby and was definitely surprised to see everyone there. It was such a special thing to celebrate!! Especially after years of infertility struggles and years waiting on an adoption from China, it was so amazing how fast the adoption through Korea went. And now they have a beautiful baby boy to rejoice in!! It was such a fun celebration for everyone who came!
I'm so glad the whole thing worked out. There were a few moments when I thought the whole thing was going to fall through, but it came together in the end. And it was so fun to see everyone, see my friend and her husband again, meet the baby, and get to hear how things were going.
What a blessing for these two special people!! And a very fun night all around!
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Quiet Life?
Sometimes when I get the urge to write I feel that there is nothing to say. So I give up. It makes me wonder if my life has become a little too quiet lately. Maybe it has, I don't know. Though it certainly feels full in the living it out part.
Mother's Day was this past weekend. I had posted a lovely poem then that moms who have lost their children would be very touched by. I know I was, thus the reason for posting it.
At the end of Mass Sunday morning there was the usual blessing over the mothers. We had a visiting priest who apparently was not used to having to use a microphone and the microphone the deacon had was not working (I also don't understand half of what that particular deacon says anyway due to his accent, so the terrible mic situation made it all the worse). So understanding the blessing was a little tough. I did stand up with the other moms. I am not one to sit in my seat because I don't have any living children and if anyone were to ask me about it (which no one did) I would gladly tell them that my babies are in heaven. I am happy and blessed to have two little saints there already.
Following the blessing, the deacon asked all the children to come forward and take a rose to bring back to their mother (though, he did have to make the announcement twice, moving to a different mic the second time, since no one moved after his first announcement). That part was a little sad for me, so I quietly sat back down and waited. Well, my goddaughter's family was sitting a few rows in front of us. Although she wasn't with them (she was in the nursery) her two older brothers both went up and got a rose and one of them brought one to me. I was very touched!!
In other exciting news, a dear friend of mine just got back from a trip to South Korea, bringing her baby son home with her!! I finally got a chance to talk to her tonight and I am so excited for her. What an amazing trip they had and what an amazing little boy they brought back with them. I can't wait to actually see her and meet her little boy. If you're curious to read more, her and her husband created a blog that they used while they were away to journal about the experience. They have pictures up now too! You can read it all at the blog Baby Andrew.
Soon we'll be heading off on a vacation to Hilton Head. I'm looking forward to time with my family and just some good R&R. In addition to being with my family while we're actually in Hilton Head, we'll be seeing some other friends and family during the trip down and back. We'll get to see friends of mine in Greenville, who I went to college with and whose son is my godson. Then on our trip back we'll be stopping in Asheville, NC to visit with one of my cousins and his family. These stops help us break up the trip and gives us a chance to see people we don't normally get to see. I know so many more people along our route, but we can't see everyone. So this year those are the stops we're making.
The other fun part about the trip is seeing other churches. We'll be in Greenville on Pentecost Sunday (Happy Birthday, Church) and attending (I'm assuming) St. Mary's parish in downtown. We've been there before and they have a beautiful church and it's always an amazing and reverent Mass. I haven't figured out yet where in Asheville we're attending. I looked up the Catholic Churches in that area and there are two in Asheville, one is a Basilica in downtown and another is somewhere else in the city. I'll figure it out before we get there for sure. Anyone have any recommendation, I'll be happy to take them.
Life often feels quiet, but really there is a lot going on. Not always with me, but often with the people around me. And that's fine. I'm blessed to have such wonderful people in my life! Otherwise, my life wouldn't just be quiet, it'd be down right boring! I'm definitely blessed with many wonderful friends and family!
Mother's Day was this past weekend. I had posted a lovely poem then that moms who have lost their children would be very touched by. I know I was, thus the reason for posting it.
At the end of Mass Sunday morning there was the usual blessing over the mothers. We had a visiting priest who apparently was not used to having to use a microphone and the microphone the deacon had was not working (I also don't understand half of what that particular deacon says anyway due to his accent, so the terrible mic situation made it all the worse). So understanding the blessing was a little tough. I did stand up with the other moms. I am not one to sit in my seat because I don't have any living children and if anyone were to ask me about it (which no one did) I would gladly tell them that my babies are in heaven. I am happy and blessed to have two little saints there already.
Following the blessing, the deacon asked all the children to come forward and take a rose to bring back to their mother (though, he did have to make the announcement twice, moving to a different mic the second time, since no one moved after his first announcement). That part was a little sad for me, so I quietly sat back down and waited. Well, my goddaughter's family was sitting a few rows in front of us. Although she wasn't with them (she was in the nursery) her two older brothers both went up and got a rose and one of them brought one to me. I was very touched!!
In other exciting news, a dear friend of mine just got back from a trip to South Korea, bringing her baby son home with her!! I finally got a chance to talk to her tonight and I am so excited for her. What an amazing trip they had and what an amazing little boy they brought back with them. I can't wait to actually see her and meet her little boy. If you're curious to read more, her and her husband created a blog that they used while they were away to journal about the experience. They have pictures up now too! You can read it all at the blog Baby Andrew.
Soon we'll be heading off on a vacation to Hilton Head. I'm looking forward to time with my family and just some good R&R. In addition to being with my family while we're actually in Hilton Head, we'll be seeing some other friends and family during the trip down and back. We'll get to see friends of mine in Greenville, who I went to college with and whose son is my godson. Then on our trip back we'll be stopping in Asheville, NC to visit with one of my cousins and his family. These stops help us break up the trip and gives us a chance to see people we don't normally get to see. I know so many more people along our route, but we can't see everyone. So this year those are the stops we're making.
The other fun part about the trip is seeing other churches. We'll be in Greenville on Pentecost Sunday (Happy Birthday, Church) and attending (I'm assuming) St. Mary's parish in downtown. We've been there before and they have a beautiful church and it's always an amazing and reverent Mass. I haven't figured out yet where in Asheville we're attending. I looked up the Catholic Churches in that area and there are two in Asheville, one is a Basilica in downtown and another is somewhere else in the city. I'll figure it out before we get there for sure. Anyone have any recommendation, I'll be happy to take them.
Life often feels quiet, but really there is a lot going on. Not always with me, but often with the people around me. And that's fine. I'm blessed to have such wonderful people in my life! Otherwise, my life wouldn't just be quiet, it'd be down right boring! I'm definitely blessed with many wonderful friends and family!
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Happy Mother's Day to ALL Mothers
I found this posted on an online Catholic forum I read. It's such a great poem for reminding everyone that there are many, many mothers out there whose children are no longer with them. For all those mothers, this is for you.
What Makes A Mother
I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today
I asked "What makes a Mother?"
And I know I heard him say
A Mother has a baby
This we know is true
But, God, can you be a mother
When your baby's not with you?
Yes, you can he replied
With confidence in his voice
I give many women babies
When they leave it is not their choice
Some I send for a lifetime
And others for the day
And some I send to feel your womb
But there's no need to stay.
I just don't understand this God
I want my baby here
He took a breath
and cleared his throat
And then I saw a tear
I wish I could show you
What your child is doing today
If you could see your child smile
With other children and say
"We go to earth to learn our lessons
of love and life and fear
My mommy loved me so much
I got to come straight here
I feel so lucky to have a Mom who had so much love for me
I learned my lessons very quickly
My Mommy set me free.
I miss my Mommy oh so much
But I visit her each day
When she goes to sleep
On her pillow is where I lay
I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek
And whisper in her ear
Mommy don't be sad today
I'm your baby and I am here"
So you see my dear sweet one
Your children are okay
Your babies are here in My home
And this is where they'll stay
They'll wait for you with Me
Until your lessons are through
And on the day you come home
they'll be at the gates for you
So now you see
What makes a Mother
It's the feeling in your heart
It's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start
Though some on earth
May not realize
Until their time is done
Remember all the love you have
And know that you are
A Special Mom
Author Unknown
What Makes A Mother
I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today
I asked "What makes a Mother?"
And I know I heard him say
A Mother has a baby
This we know is true
But, God, can you be a mother
When your baby's not with you?
Yes, you can he replied
With confidence in his voice
I give many women babies
When they leave it is not their choice
Some I send for a lifetime
And others for the day
And some I send to feel your womb
But there's no need to stay.
I just don't understand this God
I want my baby here
He took a breath
and cleared his throat
And then I saw a tear
I wish I could show you
What your child is doing today
If you could see your child smile
With other children and say
"We go to earth to learn our lessons
of love and life and fear
My mommy loved me so much
I got to come straight here
I feel so lucky to have a Mom who had so much love for me
I learned my lessons very quickly
My Mommy set me free.
I miss my Mommy oh so much
But I visit her each day
When she goes to sleep
On her pillow is where I lay
I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek
And whisper in her ear
Mommy don't be sad today
I'm your baby and I am here"
So you see my dear sweet one
Your children are okay
Your babies are here in My home
And this is where they'll stay
They'll wait for you with Me
Until your lessons are through
And on the day you come home
they'll be at the gates for you
So now you see
What makes a Mother
It's the feeling in your heart
It's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start
Though some on earth
May not realize
Until their time is done
Remember all the love you have
And know that you are
A Special Mom
Author Unknown
Monday, May 03, 2010
May Update
I find it hard to believe that we're now a third through the year already. Why does time seem to speed up as we get older? Probably not worth our time to ponder that, how about what's been going on since my last update?
New Year's Resolutions? Well, was doing good posting on the blog, obviously not much lately. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into this again soon. Secondly is our daily Rosary. Gotten a slack on that lately, but did manage to say one tonight. We were doing really well up until a few months ago, but still manage to get in a few a week. We're working on getting back into it.
My reading has gone down hill as well. I did manage to read Pope Benedict's second encyclical, Spe Salve, which I really liked. Didn't post a review because I wanted to read the next encyclical and then write one review of both. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. But, we recently started a book group up with some friends and we'll hopefully be reading a book a month soon. We're starting with the book The Loser Letters, which I'm looking forward to reading.
My fourth resolution was the non-weight loss goal of eating healthier. I did well on that for a while and then Easter hit. Kind of fell off the wagon, but I'm slowly climbing back on.
Other news? Hmm, really not much else. I managed to get through my first Cursillo weekend as the Pre-Cursillo Chair. It was a lot of work, but everyone got to where they needed to be and all the ladies (and the two deacons and one priest) all had a great time. I attended the final ceremony on Sunday night and it was great to hear everyone's witness on how they felt closer to Christ through their experiences on the weekend. I'm looking forward ot that carrying through when we gather again on Thursday for a regional get together. I'm now taking a short break and then I will be turning my focus to the Men's Weekend in October.
Basically Cursillo has taken over my life the last month. So really not much else going on here. Hopefully May will be a much mroe quiet month.
Hope everyone is having a great spring!!
New Year's Resolutions? Well, was doing good posting on the blog, obviously not much lately. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into this again soon. Secondly is our daily Rosary. Gotten a slack on that lately, but did manage to say one tonight. We were doing really well up until a few months ago, but still manage to get in a few a week. We're working on getting back into it.
My reading has gone down hill as well. I did manage to read Pope Benedict's second encyclical, Spe Salve, which I really liked. Didn't post a review because I wanted to read the next encyclical and then write one review of both. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. But, we recently started a book group up with some friends and we'll hopefully be reading a book a month soon. We're starting with the book The Loser Letters, which I'm looking forward to reading.
My fourth resolution was the non-weight loss goal of eating healthier. I did well on that for a while and then Easter hit. Kind of fell off the wagon, but I'm slowly climbing back on.
Other news? Hmm, really not much else. I managed to get through my first Cursillo weekend as the Pre-Cursillo Chair. It was a lot of work, but everyone got to where they needed to be and all the ladies (and the two deacons and one priest) all had a great time. I attended the final ceremony on Sunday night and it was great to hear everyone's witness on how they felt closer to Christ through their experiences on the weekend. I'm looking forward ot that carrying through when we gather again on Thursday for a regional get together. I'm now taking a short break and then I will be turning my focus to the Men's Weekend in October.
Basically Cursillo has taken over my life the last month. So really not much else going on here. Hopefully May will be a much mroe quiet month.
Hope everyone is having a great spring!!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Nothing is Impossible
It is 9pm here, I should be getting ready for bed considering I have to be up at 4:30 in order to make it to my adoration hour by 6am, but instead I'm writing. Hopefully, I'll get up on time tomorrow morning despite my late night foray into writing. Like my title says, nothing is impossible ...
Of course, I'm not sure getting up on time is really the kind of impossibility I was thinking about when I decided to start writing. No ... it most certainly wasn't. Okay, so back to the matter at hand ...
Nothing is impossible. That's a quaint little phrase, one that we often here growing up: nothing is impossible, you can be whatever you want to be, etc., etc. I know I heard it a lot and it certainly is a great motivation to work hard, do well in school, go to college and so on and so forth. Not a bad thing and I'm sure I'll do it with my own kids as well.
More recently I have often heard this phrase with the addition of two little words. Two words that make a huge difference in the meaning of that phrase.
Nothing is impossible ... with God.
I've seen evidence of that just recently in my life. And it is an amazing thing. First of all, thinking about that phrase in the context of God makes me realize that in many ways we are not in control of our lives. Often even the things we think we have control over we really don't. The only one who truly is in control is God. No matter how much planning we do, sometimes things just don't work the way we want them to. Things have to happen in God's time.
A friend of mine has been married for about 3 and a 1/2 years. They waited a little while after they first got married before they started trying to have kids, but not too long. Like most young couples, they thought they'd get pregnant when they wanted to and have a baby when they wanted to, and future babies in the same way. Unfortunately that is not what happened. After many struggles they just did finally get pregnant! What a complete and total blessing for this wonderful couple!! I'm super excited for them. The baby is due about four months after their four year anniversary. Not the plan they had in mind.
But I'm sure that it was a plan in Someone's mind. God knew the proper timing and nothing this couple (or any of us struggling with the same issues) could have done could have changed that.
The amazing thing is that this couple's struggles turned into some wonderful blessings for many other couples. This friend of mine started a blog that for the most part documented her struggles with NFP, insensitive OBs, experiences with NaPro Technology and all sorts of medical tests and shots and the list goes on. Through that blog she met others facing the same struggles and some of them learned things from her that helped them eventually get pregnant. In addition, she started a Catholic Infertility Support Group in my area. Through that other women have been able to come together and offer each other support and help as we all struggle through similar things.
And through all of this we know God is with us. Even when it doesn't feel like He's there, He is. And one of the most important lessons we all have to learn is that everything is in His timing. But more importantly, nothing is impossible with God. We must keep Him by our side, pray for His help, and know that He has a bigger plan than we could ever imagine.
My friend, the mother-to-be, is a great example of this. Through her so many other people have benefited from her knowledge and help and her willingness to share her story.
God, we come to you with our sorrows, our pains, and our grief. We pray for healing from our doubts, help in following your will, and the patience necessary to be open to your plan and not our own. Amen.
Of course, I'm not sure getting up on time is really the kind of impossibility I was thinking about when I decided to start writing. No ... it most certainly wasn't. Okay, so back to the matter at hand ...
Nothing is impossible. That's a quaint little phrase, one that we often here growing up: nothing is impossible, you can be whatever you want to be, etc., etc. I know I heard it a lot and it certainly is a great motivation to work hard, do well in school, go to college and so on and so forth. Not a bad thing and I'm sure I'll do it with my own kids as well.
More recently I have often heard this phrase with the addition of two little words. Two words that make a huge difference in the meaning of that phrase.
Nothing is impossible ... with God.
I've seen evidence of that just recently in my life. And it is an amazing thing. First of all, thinking about that phrase in the context of God makes me realize that in many ways we are not in control of our lives. Often even the things we think we have control over we really don't. The only one who truly is in control is God. No matter how much planning we do, sometimes things just don't work the way we want them to. Things have to happen in God's time.
A friend of mine has been married for about 3 and a 1/2 years. They waited a little while after they first got married before they started trying to have kids, but not too long. Like most young couples, they thought they'd get pregnant when they wanted to and have a baby when they wanted to, and future babies in the same way. Unfortunately that is not what happened. After many struggles they just did finally get pregnant! What a complete and total blessing for this wonderful couple!! I'm super excited for them. The baby is due about four months after their four year anniversary. Not the plan they had in mind.
But I'm sure that it was a plan in Someone's mind. God knew the proper timing and nothing this couple (or any of us struggling with the same issues) could have done could have changed that.
The amazing thing is that this couple's struggles turned into some wonderful blessings for many other couples. This friend of mine started a blog that for the most part documented her struggles with NFP, insensitive OBs, experiences with NaPro Technology and all sorts of medical tests and shots and the list goes on. Through that blog she met others facing the same struggles and some of them learned things from her that helped them eventually get pregnant. In addition, she started a Catholic Infertility Support Group in my area. Through that other women have been able to come together and offer each other support and help as we all struggle through similar things.
And through all of this we know God is with us. Even when it doesn't feel like He's there, He is. And one of the most important lessons we all have to learn is that everything is in His timing. But more importantly, nothing is impossible with God. We must keep Him by our side, pray for His help, and know that He has a bigger plan than we could ever imagine.
My friend, the mother-to-be, is a great example of this. Through her so many other people have benefited from her knowledge and help and her willingness to share her story.
God, we come to you with our sorrows, our pains, and our grief. We pray for healing from our doubts, help in following your will, and the patience necessary to be open to your plan and not our own. Amen.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Spring in the Bluegrass
It's spring!! A little early for the Bluegrass, but I think the 80 degree temps today are just a taste of what's down the pike in another couple months. We'll be back in the 60s again before too long. But it's great to see flowers coming up and trees blooming, to sleep with the windows open, and to see the sun when I leave for work and it's still there on my way home!!
Now is also a good time to review those New Year Resolutions I made!
Posting on the blog more: well, I'm attempting and not doing too bad. I don't want to overwhelm the blog, but I don't want to lose readers either because I'm so slack on posting. Not sure if I have found that balance, though I'm sure I'm nowhere near being overwhelming. Anyone care to comment??
Daily Rosary: Doing good!! We've missed an occasional night here and there, but otherwise, we manage it almost every night. And we've gotten to the point that I'm not the only one remembering that we have to do it. I consider that an accomplishment!
Read more: I have finished four books this year. Not too bad in three months. Of course, I had a list of six to read during Lent and that didn't happen. Obviously I sometimes set out-of-reach goals. (Who me??) I'm also very close to finishing book number 5. Look for a post on that coming soon.
Healthier Lifestyle: This resolution was made in the hope of losing some weight, though that wasn't really the overall goal. However, I have lost about 5% of my body weight since the beginning of the year. Overall, I think I'm making some wiser choices and doing well. We currently have quite a bit of Easter candy in the house, but hey, it's the Octave of Easter, these are feast days! Seriously though, haven't lost much in a while, but I'm holding steady. I'll take that for now.
So that's it on the resolutions. Anyone else still keeping track of the resolutions you made in January??
Now is also a good time to review those New Year Resolutions I made!
Posting on the blog more: well, I'm attempting and not doing too bad. I don't want to overwhelm the blog, but I don't want to lose readers either because I'm so slack on posting. Not sure if I have found that balance, though I'm sure I'm nowhere near being overwhelming. Anyone care to comment??
Daily Rosary: Doing good!! We've missed an occasional night here and there, but otherwise, we manage it almost every night. And we've gotten to the point that I'm not the only one remembering that we have to do it. I consider that an accomplishment!
Read more: I have finished four books this year. Not too bad in three months. Of course, I had a list of six to read during Lent and that didn't happen. Obviously I sometimes set out-of-reach goals. (Who me??) I'm also very close to finishing book number 5. Look for a post on that coming soon.
Healthier Lifestyle: This resolution was made in the hope of losing some weight, though that wasn't really the overall goal. However, I have lost about 5% of my body weight since the beginning of the year. Overall, I think I'm making some wiser choices and doing well. We currently have quite a bit of Easter candy in the house, but hey, it's the Octave of Easter, these are feast days! Seriously though, haven't lost much in a while, but I'm holding steady. I'll take that for now.
So that's it on the resolutions. Anyone else still keeping track of the resolutions you made in January??
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Remembering Two Years Later
Two years ago I lost my first child. For many people, it wasn't a child, it only had the "potential" for life. But for those who know that life begins at conception (which is biology, not politics), each and every pregnancy loss is the loss of a child.
We named our baby Casey Marie. Unlike her little brother, we never got to see her on an ultrasound or hold her in our arms. She died not long after we found out she existed.
I went to Mass today in commemoration for this tiny life that lived inside me for just over 8 weeks. I personally dedicated that Mass not just to my little Casey, but to all families who have lost children to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion and to all those couples who struggle with infertility and long to conceive a child.
No matter how far you get away from a loss such as a miscarriage, you never forget. It is not the kind of thing that you "get over" and "move on" from. And if anyone ever tells you differently then they've never been through it. Two years later, I still miss all the possibilities we could have had with our baby. The birthdays, the milestones, the hope for her future, even sickness and tears. All those things are part of caring for a child and I never got to do any of them with this baby.
But I still celebrate the life this child had, no matter how short it was, and I don't regret for a minute that I have shared this child's life with everyone and anyone. Naming our child was very important and I couldn't imagine ever pretending she didn't exist just so I wouldn't have to talk about a death to anyone. We live in a culture of death that no one likes to talk about. We talk about abortion like it is some sort of right (and those that push for it seem to forget about the child's rights) when it is really about murdering a child. By sharing my story of my baby's life, I am reminding people that life begins long before we even know it is there. This is my small part in helping to change our culture into a culture of life.
By the grace of God, my baby is in Heaven close to Him. From the moment we lost Casey I imagined her in Mary's arms. Even though I wasn't able to hold my child on earth, I know that she is held in the arms of our spiritual Mother. That is a great comfort. During a Memorial Mass we had for Casey several months after we lost her, someone came up to me afterwards and told me that she saw Mary during the Mass holding my little baby. I was stunned, because at that point I had never told anyone about my own imaginings. I will never forget that.
In addition, knowing that my child is in Heaven means that she can pray for us. She can intercede with God just like any of the saints. I call Casey, and her brother Zachary, my little saints. It is a blessing to know that my children are part of the communion of angels and saints, they can intercede for us in our prayers, and they can pray for us as well. I often ask them for prayers. Prayers from those in Heaven are so powerful!!
So although this is a sad day, it is also a day filled with happiness and hope. Happiness because I know my child is in Heaven for all eternity with the Blessed Mother Mary, our Savior Jesus Christ, and God the Creator of us all. Hope because I pray everyday that one day I will join her in Heaven and be able to hold her in my arms.
We named our baby Casey Marie. Unlike her little brother, we never got to see her on an ultrasound or hold her in our arms. She died not long after we found out she existed.
I went to Mass today in commemoration for this tiny life that lived inside me for just over 8 weeks. I personally dedicated that Mass not just to my little Casey, but to all families who have lost children to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion and to all those couples who struggle with infertility and long to conceive a child.
No matter how far you get away from a loss such as a miscarriage, you never forget. It is not the kind of thing that you "get over" and "move on" from. And if anyone ever tells you differently then they've never been through it. Two years later, I still miss all the possibilities we could have had with our baby. The birthdays, the milestones, the hope for her future, even sickness and tears. All those things are part of caring for a child and I never got to do any of them with this baby.
But I still celebrate the life this child had, no matter how short it was, and I don't regret for a minute that I have shared this child's life with everyone and anyone. Naming our child was very important and I couldn't imagine ever pretending she didn't exist just so I wouldn't have to talk about a death to anyone. We live in a culture of death that no one likes to talk about. We talk about abortion like it is some sort of right (and those that push for it seem to forget about the child's rights) when it is really about murdering a child. By sharing my story of my baby's life, I am reminding people that life begins long before we even know it is there. This is my small part in helping to change our culture into a culture of life.
By the grace of God, my baby is in Heaven close to Him. From the moment we lost Casey I imagined her in Mary's arms. Even though I wasn't able to hold my child on earth, I know that she is held in the arms of our spiritual Mother. That is a great comfort. During a Memorial Mass we had for Casey several months after we lost her, someone came up to me afterwards and told me that she saw Mary during the Mass holding my little baby. I was stunned, because at that point I had never told anyone about my own imaginings. I will never forget that.
In addition, knowing that my child is in Heaven means that she can pray for us. She can intercede with God just like any of the saints. I call Casey, and her brother Zachary, my little saints. It is a blessing to know that my children are part of the communion of angels and saints, they can intercede for us in our prayers, and they can pray for us as well. I often ask them for prayers. Prayers from those in Heaven are so powerful!!
So although this is a sad day, it is also a day filled with happiness and hope. Happiness because I know my child is in Heaven for all eternity with the Blessed Mother Mary, our Savior Jesus Christ, and God the Creator of us all. Hope because I pray everyday that one day I will join her in Heaven and be able to hold her in my arms.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Did I accomplish my Lenten Goal?
Well, we're not done yet, but I think it is safe to say that I did not finish reading all 6 books that I set out to read. I did finally finish G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy, and what an interesting read that was!!
This was my second or third time trying to read this book. Those first few times I never made it very far, probably not even past chapter one. Mostly that was my own fault. This is not a book you can set down and expect to pick up later and understand what is going on. This is philosophy, and it is seemingly "everywhere." But this time, I stuck with it. Whenever I didn't understand something I just kept going. It was important for me this time to just try and get the big picture.
I think I accomplished that. Towards the end of my reading of this book, my husband started reading it again. He informed me that upon a second reading he feels like he understands better because he knows what the overall goal is. Personally, I'm still a bit fuzzy on the overall goal.
But I got some good basic things out of this book. Essentially Chesterton wrote this (around 1908, by the way) in response to something someone had written about him. The purpose of the book is to show how he came to believe that there is a God and that the Catholic Church is the one true church.
But how he goes about doing this is what I find so confusing. From discussing "maniacs" to elves and fairy tales, I kept wondering what this had to do with the Church. But by chapter 6, it started to fall into place ... a little bit. I could sort of see by then how these weird tangents actually came together to form the foundation for his argument that Christianity has to be right. I think I might need to read the book at least two more times to truly understand everything.
But understanding everything was not my goal. I wanted to be able to get something out of it and have a basic understanding of Chesterton's thoughts. That was really all I could hope for without taking a class on him or something.
What I did get were some great sound bites. Chesterton really has a great way with words. And it was amazing how tangential something could sound until he actually did make a point. Then it was like light bulbs going off!! I marked many interesting passages, several too long to quote here, but I do want to share a few of the briefer ones.
Like I said above, chapter 6 was when things really started making sense to me. This chapter, titled "The Paradoxes of Christianity" really got into what we call in the Catholic Church the "Great Both/And." Chesterton never comes out and calls it that, but it was obvious to me that this is what he was talking about. He starts this chapter by telling his readers that it is his purpose here "to show that whenever we feel there is something odd in Christian theology, we shall generally find that there is something odd in the truth" (p. 88). He goes on to explain, "this is why the faith has that elaboration of doctrines and details which so much distresses those who admire Christianity without believing in it" (p.89). Only in Christianity do we find people who can "pardon unpardonable acts, or love unlovable people." It is also the strength of Christianity that they adopted and kept the good things that were found in the pagan cultures they grew up around. I like how he describes this by saying that "Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites by keeping them both, and keeping them both furious" (p. 101). I can't think of a better way of describing the Great "Both/And" of the Church.
It is also in chapter six where Chesterton finally starts describing his own conversion. As a great man of words he eloquently states "the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild" (p.102). I love that description of the order of the Church existing to allow for the good of our society to run free and wild. We often think of order as being constraining, and yet the Church teaches us that we are more free when we have doctrines and an order around us that when there is just anarchy.
The last bit I'll share from this section is also only possible from such a one as Chesterton: "It is easy to be a madman: it is easy to be a heretic. It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one's own" (p. 107). This is as applicable today as at any time in history and will continue to be applicable in the ages to come.
From this point forward Chesterton delves more deeply into the Christian principles and his own conversion and acceptance of them, as well as his reasons for believing in the Catholic Church as the one true Church. His philosophical paths are at times hard to follow for the casual reader, but not entirely out of reach. Despite this casual reader being a little fuzzy on the path I was being taken down, I still felt like I came away with something to think about.
One thing I thought of often while I read was that I often hear people accuse believers that they are blindly following something they've been taught and they don't think. The implication is always that thinking people have no reason to believe in God or to follow a church. Chesterton brings that theory crashing down. He is one who has obviously thought about this quite deeply. I, as a believer in God and follower of the Catholic Church, have also thought long and hard about what I believe in and why. But I am not Chesterton and don't want to be. We each have our gifts and the fact that this man has been able to explain them so well that people are still reading him 100 years later because of his way of writing and philosophizing means that there is something there in that Catholic Church. I don't need to think as he does, I only need to know what I know and know that others have been able to make even better arguments to support my beliefs.
In closing, one last fun quote from Chesterton (because he can always provide some fun amidst his deep words): "Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls; but they are the walls of a playground. Christianity is the only frame which has preserved the pleasure of Paganism" (p. 152).
This was my second or third time trying to read this book. Those first few times I never made it very far, probably not even past chapter one. Mostly that was my own fault. This is not a book you can set down and expect to pick up later and understand what is going on. This is philosophy, and it is seemingly "everywhere." But this time, I stuck with it. Whenever I didn't understand something I just kept going. It was important for me this time to just try and get the big picture.
I think I accomplished that. Towards the end of my reading of this book, my husband started reading it again. He informed me that upon a second reading he feels like he understands better because he knows what the overall goal is. Personally, I'm still a bit fuzzy on the overall goal.
But I got some good basic things out of this book. Essentially Chesterton wrote this (around 1908, by the way) in response to something someone had written about him. The purpose of the book is to show how he came to believe that there is a God and that the Catholic Church is the one true church.
But how he goes about doing this is what I find so confusing. From discussing "maniacs" to elves and fairy tales, I kept wondering what this had to do with the Church. But by chapter 6, it started to fall into place ... a little bit. I could sort of see by then how these weird tangents actually came together to form the foundation for his argument that Christianity has to be right. I think I might need to read the book at least two more times to truly understand everything.
But understanding everything was not my goal. I wanted to be able to get something out of it and have a basic understanding of Chesterton's thoughts. That was really all I could hope for without taking a class on him or something.
What I did get were some great sound bites. Chesterton really has a great way with words. And it was amazing how tangential something could sound until he actually did make a point. Then it was like light bulbs going off!! I marked many interesting passages, several too long to quote here, but I do want to share a few of the briefer ones.
Like I said above, chapter 6 was when things really started making sense to me. This chapter, titled "The Paradoxes of Christianity" really got into what we call in the Catholic Church the "Great Both/And." Chesterton never comes out and calls it that, but it was obvious to me that this is what he was talking about. He starts this chapter by telling his readers that it is his purpose here "to show that whenever we feel there is something odd in Christian theology, we shall generally find that there is something odd in the truth" (p. 88). He goes on to explain, "this is why the faith has that elaboration of doctrines and details which so much distresses those who admire Christianity without believing in it" (p.89). Only in Christianity do we find people who can "pardon unpardonable acts, or love unlovable people." It is also the strength of Christianity that they adopted and kept the good things that were found in the pagan cultures they grew up around. I like how he describes this by saying that "Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites by keeping them both, and keeping them both furious" (p. 101). I can't think of a better way of describing the Great "Both/And" of the Church.
It is also in chapter six where Chesterton finally starts describing his own conversion. As a great man of words he eloquently states "the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild" (p.102). I love that description of the order of the Church existing to allow for the good of our society to run free and wild. We often think of order as being constraining, and yet the Church teaches us that we are more free when we have doctrines and an order around us that when there is just anarchy.
The last bit I'll share from this section is also only possible from such a one as Chesterton: "It is easy to be a madman: it is easy to be a heretic. It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one's own" (p. 107). This is as applicable today as at any time in history and will continue to be applicable in the ages to come.
From this point forward Chesterton delves more deeply into the Christian principles and his own conversion and acceptance of them, as well as his reasons for believing in the Catholic Church as the one true Church. His philosophical paths are at times hard to follow for the casual reader, but not entirely out of reach. Despite this casual reader being a little fuzzy on the path I was being taken down, I still felt like I came away with something to think about.
One thing I thought of often while I read was that I often hear people accuse believers that they are blindly following something they've been taught and they don't think. The implication is always that thinking people have no reason to believe in God or to follow a church. Chesterton brings that theory crashing down. He is one who has obviously thought about this quite deeply. I, as a believer in God and follower of the Catholic Church, have also thought long and hard about what I believe in and why. But I am not Chesterton and don't want to be. We each have our gifts and the fact that this man has been able to explain them so well that people are still reading him 100 years later because of his way of writing and philosophizing means that there is something there in that Catholic Church. I don't need to think as he does, I only need to know what I know and know that others have been able to make even better arguments to support my beliefs.
In closing, one last fun quote from Chesterton (because he can always provide some fun amidst his deep words): "Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls; but they are the walls of a playground. Christianity is the only frame which has preserved the pleasure of Paganism" (p. 152).
Business or Pleasure?
That is the inevitable question when you tell someone you are taking a trip. Over the last several months whenever I mentioned that I was going to San Diego in March I didn’t get that question, instead I got a very long list of all the things I needed to do while I was there. I guess most people go to San Diego on vacation. I was going for a conference.
However, why travel to the opposite coast, to one of the most beautiful cities in our country, and not have any fun!! So that we did; lots of it! Hubby came along on this trip and thus it became half business, half pleasure for me, while at the same time being a 100% vacation for him. Lucky him! ;)
The conference, or rather, conferences, was a lot of fun as well. For the first time in the last three conferences I really do feel re-energized. That’s not to imply anything negative about the last two conferences. Two years ago I remember enjoying the conference immensely and was ready to take on some new things following it. But events shortly after that conference made it difficult for me to concentrate much. Last year’s conference occurred after some additional tragic events in my life and I just wasn’t mentally focused that year. But this year, I really did get a lot out of the conference and its many meetings. I am looking forward to tackling some things in a new way, trying some new things, and taking on some new challenges.
Now the fun part!! After getting in late on Friday (late is relative, we were still on East coast time) we got up Saturday refreshed and headed up the coast to check out La Jolla. We saw lots of big birds, sea lions, dolphins out in the ocean (too far off to take pictures), and beautiful scenery. Really the only reason to go to La Jolla is for the scenery. Heading back to the resort that afternoon, I finished the day in meetings while hubby relaxed with a book and enjoyed the quiet and beautiful resort setting.
Sunday was more morning meetings for me while hubby went off to check out Balboa Park. By the time I finished around noon he had planned the rest of my day for me. Yay!! We drove down to Balboa and headed to the International Village first to enjoy some food from the Iran House celebration going on that day. After purchasing our lunch of kabobs, rice, pitas, and baklava (and taste testing the milk candy while we waited in line) we took our lunch over to the free Sunday organ concert. The huge outdoor organ in the park is used every Sunday for a free concert. So we ate there and enjoyed the music. We also walked through the Japanese Garden and then stopped once more in the International Village on our way back to the car. We checked out the Scotland, Norway, China, Ireland, and Germany houses before finally heading back.
We wrapped up Sunday with Mass at a nearby Catholic church, a quick dinner, and then the big conference’s opening reception.
Monday was another day of fun for me. I attended one morning meeting and then we headed to the zoo. The SD Zoo is fabulous!! We spent the entire afternoon there and were not able to see it all. The bus tour at the beginning helped and we also took the Skyfair to get from one end of the park to the other (not my favorite thing) and I was able to see some cool things from above. I highly recommend the zoo. We got back to the conference for one evening meeting and then we went out to dinner in Old Towne. The concierge at the resort recommended a place (and provided us with a card to get a free appetizer). So we headed to Coyote Café and had some great Mexican food, as well as the best fresh tortillas I have ever had in my whole life!!
Tuesday and Wednesday were my busy days at the conference, so hubby was on his own. He spent Tuesday in Balboa Park visiting several museums. Wednesday he drove through some other parts of San Diego he hadn’t seen yet, drove across the two-mile Coronado Island bridge (just to say he had done it), and toured the USS Midway. Wednesday evening was the conference’s closing Banquet (complete with the most amazing Jazz Band of Music Librarians ever). Finally it was home on Thursday.
Overall it was a great trip and truly a 50/50 split in the business vs. pleasure category. We both had a great time and it was really good to get away and check out a new area of the country. I’m also re-energized and ready to get back to the many things awaiting me at work.
However, why travel to the opposite coast, to one of the most beautiful cities in our country, and not have any fun!! So that we did; lots of it! Hubby came along on this trip and thus it became half business, half pleasure for me, while at the same time being a 100% vacation for him. Lucky him! ;)
The conference, or rather, conferences, was a lot of fun as well. For the first time in the last three conferences I really do feel re-energized. That’s not to imply anything negative about the last two conferences. Two years ago I remember enjoying the conference immensely and was ready to take on some new things following it. But events shortly after that conference made it difficult for me to concentrate much. Last year’s conference occurred after some additional tragic events in my life and I just wasn’t mentally focused that year. But this year, I really did get a lot out of the conference and its many meetings. I am looking forward to tackling some things in a new way, trying some new things, and taking on some new challenges.
Now the fun part!! After getting in late on Friday (late is relative, we were still on East coast time) we got up Saturday refreshed and headed up the coast to check out La Jolla. We saw lots of big birds, sea lions, dolphins out in the ocean (too far off to take pictures), and beautiful scenery. Really the only reason to go to La Jolla is for the scenery. Heading back to the resort that afternoon, I finished the day in meetings while hubby relaxed with a book and enjoyed the quiet and beautiful resort setting.
Sunday was more morning meetings for me while hubby went off to check out Balboa Park. By the time I finished around noon he had planned the rest of my day for me. Yay!! We drove down to Balboa and headed to the International Village first to enjoy some food from the Iran House celebration going on that day. After purchasing our lunch of kabobs, rice, pitas, and baklava (and taste testing the milk candy while we waited in line) we took our lunch over to the free Sunday organ concert. The huge outdoor organ in the park is used every Sunday for a free concert. So we ate there and enjoyed the music. We also walked through the Japanese Garden and then stopped once more in the International Village on our way back to the car. We checked out the Scotland, Norway, China, Ireland, and Germany houses before finally heading back.
We wrapped up Sunday with Mass at a nearby Catholic church, a quick dinner, and then the big conference’s opening reception.
Monday was another day of fun for me. I attended one morning meeting and then we headed to the zoo. The SD Zoo is fabulous!! We spent the entire afternoon there and were not able to see it all. The bus tour at the beginning helped and we also took the Skyfair to get from one end of the park to the other (not my favorite thing) and I was able to see some cool things from above. I highly recommend the zoo. We got back to the conference for one evening meeting and then we went out to dinner in Old Towne. The concierge at the resort recommended a place (and provided us with a card to get a free appetizer). So we headed to Coyote Café and had some great Mexican food, as well as the best fresh tortillas I have ever had in my whole life!!
Tuesday and Wednesday were my busy days at the conference, so hubby was on his own. He spent Tuesday in Balboa Park visiting several museums. Wednesday he drove through some other parts of San Diego he hadn’t seen yet, drove across the two-mile Coronado Island bridge (just to say he had done it), and toured the USS Midway. Wednesday evening was the conference’s closing Banquet (complete with the most amazing Jazz Band of Music Librarians ever). Finally it was home on Thursday.
Overall it was a great trip and truly a 50/50 split in the business vs. pleasure category. We both had a great time and it was really good to get away and check out a new area of the country. I’m also re-energized and ready to get back to the many things awaiting me at work.
Friday, February 26, 2010
First Lenten Read
The first book in my list of Lenten reading was 7 Secrets of the Eucharist by Vinny Flynn. This little, easy-to-read book was a great way to start off my Lenten experience this year! Let me say right up front, I highly recommend this book. If you haven't read it, you should.
This book is full of wonderful insights, incredible quotes from Scripture, the Saints, and the Catechism, as well as a beautifully simple way of describing deep theological issues. I found myself underlining, starring, and even circling all sorts of interesting phrases, sentences ... heck, I'll admit it, even whole paragraphs! I couldn't help but to take some extensive notes on the occasional empty page between chapters.
In this little book, Mr. Flynn aims to present the Eucharist in a very real way. He wants to share with his readers insights into the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that may be new to you or may be presented in a way you've never thought of before. Even though he calls these "Secrets" he admits right from the start that there is nothing secret about any of this. Even so, some of these secrets may seem like new information. He also says that there are not just seven of these. He could easily continue writing more and more about the Eucharist. Maybe we'll see more books on this topic from Mr. Flynn? I for one, would be delighted to read more.
Since the secrets discussed in this book are not actually secrets, here they are as a taste of what you will find discussed in this little tome: the Eucharist is alive; Christ is not alone; there is only one Mass; not just one miracle; we don't just receive; every reception is different; and there's no limit.
Lots to think about there. The Eucharist is alive? Well, okay, that may be an easy one but the insights here are great! Christ not alone? Who is with him? Read and find out! Only one Mass? What does that mean? There are masses every day in churches all around the world, what does it mean that there is only one? Not just one miracle? Also an interesting thought to ponder. And it goes on and on. Does that peak your interest?? I hope so.
Each of the seven chapters takes each of the above listed "secrets" and explores their meaning more deeply. He pulls quotes from St. Faustina's Diary, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and others to start each chapter. The style of writing is best described as friendly, which I found wonderful for a topic that could easily get bogged down in theological discourse. Yet he still manages to delve into theological matters without you even realizing it!
I drank in the information of this book. The hardest chapter for me was the seventh secret, there's no limit. This chapter is not about being able to receive the Eucharist as many times as you want in a day. We are blessed with the ability to receive every day if we choose, and I gathered from the discussion that there is a limit of being able to receive twice a day. But what he is really describing in this chapter is the ability to receive the Eucharist spiritually. The idea of a Spiritual Communion was a new one for me. It took me until near the end of the chapter before it started to click. I think this was evident by the lack of notes I was taking for the first half of that chapter.
What I especially liked about this seventh chapter was that it held a great little treasure in it that is perfect for Lent. As we struggle with certain temptations during this Lenten season we can turn to Christ in the Eucharist to gather strength and even if you are not physically able to receive Him or even physically in front of Him (such as at an Adoration Chapel) you can still make a Spiritual Communion. Want to understand this more?? I recommend reading the book.
I think this book makes excellent Lenten reading, but I would also recommend it for any other time as well. In particular, if you know someone who will be entering the church this Easter and will receive Christ in the Eucharist for the first time during the Easter Vigil Mass, I encourage you to give him or her a copy of this book to read before they take that step. It will open their hearts and minds even more to the great mysteries and blessings of the Eucharist and will make their hunger for that union with Christ which can only be experienced in the Eucharist even more intense. I can't think of a better gift than that!
This book is full of wonderful insights, incredible quotes from Scripture, the Saints, and the Catechism, as well as a beautifully simple way of describing deep theological issues. I found myself underlining, starring, and even circling all sorts of interesting phrases, sentences ... heck, I'll admit it, even whole paragraphs! I couldn't help but to take some extensive notes on the occasional empty page between chapters.
In this little book, Mr. Flynn aims to present the Eucharist in a very real way. He wants to share with his readers insights into the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that may be new to you or may be presented in a way you've never thought of before. Even though he calls these "Secrets" he admits right from the start that there is nothing secret about any of this. Even so, some of these secrets may seem like new information. He also says that there are not just seven of these. He could easily continue writing more and more about the Eucharist. Maybe we'll see more books on this topic from Mr. Flynn? I for one, would be delighted to read more.
Since the secrets discussed in this book are not actually secrets, here they are as a taste of what you will find discussed in this little tome: the Eucharist is alive; Christ is not alone; there is only one Mass; not just one miracle; we don't just receive; every reception is different; and there's no limit.
Lots to think about there. The Eucharist is alive? Well, okay, that may be an easy one but the insights here are great! Christ not alone? Who is with him? Read and find out! Only one Mass? What does that mean? There are masses every day in churches all around the world, what does it mean that there is only one? Not just one miracle? Also an interesting thought to ponder. And it goes on and on. Does that peak your interest?? I hope so.
Each of the seven chapters takes each of the above listed "secrets" and explores their meaning more deeply. He pulls quotes from St. Faustina's Diary, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and others to start each chapter. The style of writing is best described as friendly, which I found wonderful for a topic that could easily get bogged down in theological discourse. Yet he still manages to delve into theological matters without you even realizing it!
I drank in the information of this book. The hardest chapter for me was the seventh secret, there's no limit. This chapter is not about being able to receive the Eucharist as many times as you want in a day. We are blessed with the ability to receive every day if we choose, and I gathered from the discussion that there is a limit of being able to receive twice a day. But what he is really describing in this chapter is the ability to receive the Eucharist spiritually. The idea of a Spiritual Communion was a new one for me. It took me until near the end of the chapter before it started to click. I think this was evident by the lack of notes I was taking for the first half of that chapter.
What I especially liked about this seventh chapter was that it held a great little treasure in it that is perfect for Lent. As we struggle with certain temptations during this Lenten season we can turn to Christ in the Eucharist to gather strength and even if you are not physically able to receive Him or even physically in front of Him (such as at an Adoration Chapel) you can still make a Spiritual Communion. Want to understand this more?? I recommend reading the book.
I think this book makes excellent Lenten reading, but I would also recommend it for any other time as well. In particular, if you know someone who will be entering the church this Easter and will receive Christ in the Eucharist for the first time during the Easter Vigil Mass, I encourage you to give him or her a copy of this book to read before they take that step. It will open their hearts and minds even more to the great mysteries and blessings of the Eucharist and will make their hunger for that union with Christ which can only be experienced in the Eucharist even more intense. I can't think of a better gift than that!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
One week into Lent
We are one week into Lent. How are you doing on your Lenten promises? I'm struggling a bit with one of mine, but mostly doing okay.
My reading was going great at the beginning. I actually have finished one book already, I just haven't had a chance to write up a review/summary of it. Look for that to come soon (I hope!). I have my second book ready to go, but haven't started it yet. It's been a very busy week!!
I have successfully stayed away from all Facebook games since Lent started. Even though my husband finally managed to beat my high score in one of them, I have not played! It's hard at times, but I'm working through it.
Finally, the no snacking on Fridays was a bit difficult last week. I made it all day until later that night long after dinner. I ended up having one brownie. They had been there all week and there were only two left ... calling my name! So that was unsuccessful, but hopefully we'll do better this Friday. Maybe I'll just go to bed earlier!
A review of my first Lenten read will be coming soon! Snow today has cancelled Bible Study for tonight, so maybe I'll have a chance to write that review. Stay tuned!
My reading was going great at the beginning. I actually have finished one book already, I just haven't had a chance to write up a review/summary of it. Look for that to come soon (I hope!). I have my second book ready to go, but haven't started it yet. It's been a very busy week!!
I have successfully stayed away from all Facebook games since Lent started. Even though my husband finally managed to beat my high score in one of them, I have not played! It's hard at times, but I'm working through it.
Finally, the no snacking on Fridays was a bit difficult last week. I made it all day until later that night long after dinner. I ended up having one brownie. They had been there all week and there were only two left ... calling my name! So that was unsuccessful, but hopefully we'll do better this Friday. Maybe I'll just go to bed earlier!
A review of my first Lenten read will be coming soon! Snow today has cancelled Bible Study for tonight, so maybe I'll have a chance to write that review. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Lent is here!!
Your time has run out! Lent is here! What are you doing this year for Lent?
Are you giving something up that you will spend the next 40 days craving?? Do you think depriving yourself of something you really want is going to help your relationship with Christ grow?
Are you giving something up like a bad habit (smoking) or something you know you need to do less of (playing games, watching TV)? Will doing this make you a grumpy person? Will you go back to that habit or thing when Lent is over? Will this help you grow closer to the Holy Trinity?
Are you trying to add a spiritual exercise into your day that you do not currently do? Will doing so make you more stressed out because you have to find the time or will it bring some quiet time into your daily life? Will you fret over it if you forget one day? Will doing this bring you closer to God or just become something to check off your to-do list?
Whatever any of us does for Lent, the real question is, will it lead to improving or intensifying our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ? At this point you've probably already decided what it is you're giving up or doing different. Now think about whether or not it will be an aid for improving your relationship with Jesus.
I've been struggling with this the last week or so. I've done all sorts of things in the past. Gave up TV one year (which really was great!), gave up chocolate another year (which did make me anxious about Easter, but was a worthy sacrifice), and last year I said a Divine Mercy Chaplet every day (well, most days, weekends were hardest, during the week it was on my calendar at work so it was hard to forget). But this year, I really want to do something that will help me grow spiritually.
Two things occurred to me. First, I could read a designated section or two of the Catechism. Second, I could compile a list of books to read between now and Easter and actually read them.
Both have their pluses. But also minuses!
The biggest minus: will I be simply trying to read these things just to get through them and not really benefiting from them at all? Will it become a chore?
I didn't want whatever I did to become a chore. I want to actually benefit from this. That's the whole point of Lent, right? We appreciate the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter time so much more when we learn what a sacrifice is during the penitential season of Lent. Otherwise, Easter is just another holiday. And we all know that is absolutely NOT true. Easter is the most important holiday we celebrate as Christians!!
So my decision this Lent was to do three things. First, I am giving up playing games on Facebook. That sounds kind of silly, but I do waste a lot of time doing that. I know I will benefit from not playing those games (not that they're "bad" games, just time wasters) and I will be a more productive person and will have more time for more important things. Second I am going to refrain from any snacking on Fridays. I'll eat three normal, meat-free meals, but no snacks on those days.
Third and finally, I will be reading six books, all spiritual reading in some fashion, during the six weeks of Lent. And, to be sure that I actually get something out of these books and I'm not just reading them to get through them, I will be posting on my blog about each one as I finish it. Hopefully this will help keep me somewhat accountable.
Here is my list of Lenten books to read:
So that's my list and probably the order I will read them in as well. It's a big undertaking, but I feel up to the task. And if I don't finish them all, that's okay. I am going to let God be my guide and if I need to take more time with any one particular book, so be it.
I am looking forward to this Lent. How about you?
Are you giving something up that you will spend the next 40 days craving?? Do you think depriving yourself of something you really want is going to help your relationship with Christ grow?
Are you giving something up like a bad habit (smoking) or something you know you need to do less of (playing games, watching TV)? Will doing this make you a grumpy person? Will you go back to that habit or thing when Lent is over? Will this help you grow closer to the Holy Trinity?
Are you trying to add a spiritual exercise into your day that you do not currently do? Will doing so make you more stressed out because you have to find the time or will it bring some quiet time into your daily life? Will you fret over it if you forget one day? Will doing this bring you closer to God or just become something to check off your to-do list?
Whatever any of us does for Lent, the real question is, will it lead to improving or intensifying our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ? At this point you've probably already decided what it is you're giving up or doing different. Now think about whether or not it will be an aid for improving your relationship with Jesus.
I've been struggling with this the last week or so. I've done all sorts of things in the past. Gave up TV one year (which really was great!), gave up chocolate another year (which did make me anxious about Easter, but was a worthy sacrifice), and last year I said a Divine Mercy Chaplet every day (well, most days, weekends were hardest, during the week it was on my calendar at work so it was hard to forget). But this year, I really want to do something that will help me grow spiritually.
Two things occurred to me. First, I could read a designated section or two of the Catechism. Second, I could compile a list of books to read between now and Easter and actually read them.
Both have their pluses. But also minuses!
The biggest minus: will I be simply trying to read these things just to get through them and not really benefiting from them at all? Will it become a chore?
I didn't want whatever I did to become a chore. I want to actually benefit from this. That's the whole point of Lent, right? We appreciate the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter time so much more when we learn what a sacrifice is during the penitential season of Lent. Otherwise, Easter is just another holiday. And we all know that is absolutely NOT true. Easter is the most important holiday we celebrate as Christians!!
So my decision this Lent was to do three things. First, I am giving up playing games on Facebook. That sounds kind of silly, but I do waste a lot of time doing that. I know I will benefit from not playing those games (not that they're "bad" games, just time wasters) and I will be a more productive person and will have more time for more important things. Second I am going to refrain from any snacking on Fridays. I'll eat three normal, meat-free meals, but no snacks on those days.
Third and finally, I will be reading six books, all spiritual reading in some fashion, during the six weeks of Lent. And, to be sure that I actually get something out of these books and I'm not just reading them to get through them, I will be posting on my blog about each one as I finish it. Hopefully this will help keep me somewhat accountable.
Here is my list of Lenten books to read:
- 7 Secrets of the Eucharist by Vinny Flynn. I bought this one this summer when Chris and I were in Stockbridge, MA at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy. I started this on Monday and I'm already enjoying it!! Stay tuned for a review soon.
- Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. I've started this book a few times and for whatever reason, have never gotten very far. I always end up putting it down at some point and not picking it up again. This is a book that I know needs more focused time. Chris read it a while back and told me I had to read it. So I'm finally going to.
- Saved in Hope / Spe Salvi encyclical letter of Benedict XVI. This was Benedict's second encyclical, issued, I believe, in 2007. Haven't read it at all, but I have a hard copy and I'm finally going to get to it.
- Charity in Truth / Caritas in Veritate encyclical letter of Benedict XVI. This was his third encyclical letter, issued only last year. I don't think he's issued one since, so once I finish this one (and the one above) I should be caught up in reading all of his encyclicals since he became Pope.
- The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri Nouwen. I first heard about this book, and this author, this past summer. So many people mentioned him and mentioned how great this book was, and others, that I finally went out and got it. Hopefully, I'll also be able to read it this Lent.
- The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila. St. Teresa lived in the 16th century, was a nun, and a great mystic. She is now also a doctor of the church. This book is about prayer. Very much looking forward to delving into this.
So that's my list and probably the order I will read them in as well. It's a big undertaking, but I feel up to the task. And if I don't finish them all, that's okay. I am going to let God be my guide and if I need to take more time with any one particular book, so be it.
I am looking forward to this Lent. How about you?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Second Book of 2010 Complete
I just finished an excellent book called The Privilege of Being a Woman by Alice von Hildebrand. This was my first time reading something by Mrs. von Hildebrand, though I've wanted to for ages and ages. When I first heard of her I was exploring the Catholic Church, was semi-back, but still trying to figure some things out. I considered myself a feminist and started looking for Catholics who shared my views. She was one of the authors I put on a list to check out. But I never really had the time, which I now see was probably a good thing.
I think if I had read this book back then I would not have appreciated it like I did reading it now. But maybe that's not totally true, it's possible it would have opened my eyes to the beauty of real femininity much earlier than it actually took.
This book is of a more scholarly nature than many of the spiritual books I tend to read. So this was a good fit for me, since I've always enjoyed a good scholarly argument. Just a warning to anyone out there who might want to read it, this is not light reading.
It took me a while to get into the book, but I don't blame that on the author, I blame it on myself. I read most of this book during my early morning adoration hour, thus giving it only about 20-30 minutes once a week. Not a great way to approach this book, small chunks didn't cut it.
You need time with this book. Time to really let it speak to you; time to really mull over the ideas; time to read the end notes and look up the Biblical passages she references (not that I did, but I should have); and time to reflect on what being a woman really means to you (or, for any men reading this, what you learn about the women in your life).
Mrs. von Hildebrand approaches this topic by first tackling the feminist view of women throughout history. Namely, that women have been denigrated and made to be the "weak" sex. But is this really true? As she says, "To plead their cause, feminist scholars have been efficient at unearthing nasty things that men have said or written about women" (p. 3). That's how you make your case, you pull out the things that support your argument and leave out the rest. Right? No, that's poor scholarship. She goes on to say, "Yet feminists carefully refrain from mentioning the beautiful statements that men have made throughout history such as ... Theodor Haecker claims that nature made woman more perfect than man because she is more inclined to love and to give herself" (p. 5-6). She also quotes the Bible, Chesterton, Dante, Kierkegaard, and others.
From this starting point of the feminist viewpoint, she moves into the realm of the supernatural and paganism. Very slowly throughout her discussion, she starts introducing the idea of woman as the life-bearer. It wasn't very obvious to me at first, it seemed to be subtle and grew as the book moved on. Especially as she moves from the realm of paganism into the spiritual and Christian world. Another passage I especially liked was this:
Weakness is the next topic of discussion. She makes a very clear case for the idea of women being part of the "weak" sex as completely false. Talking about women as the "privileged" sex, she delves more deeply into Christian thought. But also, the "mystery" of womanhood. By the time I got to this part of the book, I wanted my husband to read it!! I already shared this Chesterton quote with him: "'Women speak to each other; men speak to the subject they are speaking about'" (p. 47).
I found the last several chapters of the book particularly good. Completely in the Christian world at this point the link between the high regard women hold in the Catholic Church because of the very nature of our beings is made very clear. She does this with an exploration of what feminine "feelings" really are and the mystery of the female body. This second part reminded me very much of Theology of the Body discussions, but in a completely new and incredible way. Speaking about God becoming man (the Incarnation) in Mary's womb she says, "That this event was wrapped in a deafening silence ... is profoundly meaningful. The world was forever changed, and no one knew about it except a humble Virgin. Secular events take place with a bang; God's mysteries are secret and hidden. This is why it was proper that this overwhelming event was buried in holy silence" (p. 83).
I found that last concept particularly profound: "holy silence". Have you ever thought about those nine months when Jesus was in Mary's womb? How she knew that she carried a very special gift, and no one else knew it (Joseph eventually did, but at first it was just her). How incredible! I can't even imagine!
Another great, thought-provoking statement: "During pregnancy, the mother-to-be actually carries two souls within herself: her own and the one of her baby" (p. 87).
This Theology of the Body type discussion leads seamlessly right into the final chapter about Mary. Mary is powerful in our world and a model for all women. Her fiat changed the world. As a result she holds a special place with God. She's the Queen Mother, the Mother of all the people of the Earth, the Mother of God. She holds such a high place that the Church recognizes her and her special role in a prayer said every day, millions of times, throughout the world. In this prayer we say "Blessed is the fruit of thy Womb, Jesus."
Does that Roman Catholic Church look down on women as the "weak" sex. No, absolutely not. I knew that before I started reading this book. This book confirmed that for me a hundred fold. I highly recommend checking it out. It is full of so many wonderful images and words, quotes from famous people, and an overall thesis, argument, and conclusion that is hard to beat! All packed into just over a hundred pages.
I think if I had read this book back then I would not have appreciated it like I did reading it now. But maybe that's not totally true, it's possible it would have opened my eyes to the beauty of real femininity much earlier than it actually took.
This book is of a more scholarly nature than many of the spiritual books I tend to read. So this was a good fit for me, since I've always enjoyed a good scholarly argument. Just a warning to anyone out there who might want to read it, this is not light reading.
It took me a while to get into the book, but I don't blame that on the author, I blame it on myself. I read most of this book during my early morning adoration hour, thus giving it only about 20-30 minutes once a week. Not a great way to approach this book, small chunks didn't cut it.
You need time with this book. Time to really let it speak to you; time to really mull over the ideas; time to read the end notes and look up the Biblical passages she references (not that I did, but I should have); and time to reflect on what being a woman really means to you (or, for any men reading this, what you learn about the women in your life).
Mrs. von Hildebrand approaches this topic by first tackling the feminist view of women throughout history. Namely, that women have been denigrated and made to be the "weak" sex. But is this really true? As she says, "To plead their cause, feminist scholars have been efficient at unearthing nasty things that men have said or written about women" (p. 3). That's how you make your case, you pull out the things that support your argument and leave out the rest. Right? No, that's poor scholarship. She goes on to say, "Yet feminists carefully refrain from mentioning the beautiful statements that men have made throughout history such as ... Theodor Haecker claims that nature made woman more perfect than man because she is more inclined to love and to give herself" (p. 5-6). She also quotes the Bible, Chesterton, Dante, Kierkegaard, and others.
From this starting point of the feminist viewpoint, she moves into the realm of the supernatural and paganism. Very slowly throughout her discussion, she starts introducing the idea of woman as the life-bearer. It wasn't very obvious to me at first, it seemed to be subtle and grew as the book moved on. Especially as she moves from the realm of paganism into the spiritual and Christian world. Another passage I especially liked was this:
One this is certain: When the time has come, nothing which is man-made will subsist. One day, all human accomplishments will be reduced to a pile of ashes. but every single child to whom a woman has given birth will live forever, for he has been given an immortal soul made to God's image and likeness. In this light, the assertion of de Beauvoir that "women produce nothing" becomes particularly ludicrous. (p. 33)
Weakness is the next topic of discussion. She makes a very clear case for the idea of women being part of the "weak" sex as completely false. Talking about women as the "privileged" sex, she delves more deeply into Christian thought. But also, the "mystery" of womanhood. By the time I got to this part of the book, I wanted my husband to read it!! I already shared this Chesterton quote with him: "'Women speak to each other; men speak to the subject they are speaking about'" (p. 47).
I found the last several chapters of the book particularly good. Completely in the Christian world at this point the link between the high regard women hold in the Catholic Church because of the very nature of our beings is made very clear. She does this with an exploration of what feminine "feelings" really are and the mystery of the female body. This second part reminded me very much of Theology of the Body discussions, but in a completely new and incredible way. Speaking about God becoming man (the Incarnation) in Mary's womb she says, "That this event was wrapped in a deafening silence ... is profoundly meaningful. The world was forever changed, and no one knew about it except a humble Virgin. Secular events take place with a bang; God's mysteries are secret and hidden. This is why it was proper that this overwhelming event was buried in holy silence" (p. 83).
I found that last concept particularly profound: "holy silence". Have you ever thought about those nine months when Jesus was in Mary's womb? How she knew that she carried a very special gift, and no one else knew it (Joseph eventually did, but at first it was just her). How incredible! I can't even imagine!
Another great, thought-provoking statement: "During pregnancy, the mother-to-be actually carries two souls within herself: her own and the one of her baby" (p. 87).
This Theology of the Body type discussion leads seamlessly right into the final chapter about Mary. Mary is powerful in our world and a model for all women. Her fiat changed the world. As a result she holds a special place with God. She's the Queen Mother, the Mother of all the people of the Earth, the Mother of God. She holds such a high place that the Church recognizes her and her special role in a prayer said every day, millions of times, throughout the world. In this prayer we say "Blessed is the fruit of thy Womb, Jesus."
Does that Roman Catholic Church look down on women as the "weak" sex. No, absolutely not. I knew that before I started reading this book. This book confirmed that for me a hundred fold. I highly recommend checking it out. It is full of so many wonderful images and words, quotes from famous people, and an overall thesis, argument, and conclusion that is hard to beat! All packed into just over a hundred pages.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Things I've heard Recently
This past week I had the pleasure of hearing two great one-liners. It never ceases to amaze me that I never hear just one cool thing, it's always more than one. Maybe it's because I hear something interesting and it makes me more aware of what others around me are saying. Suddenly I hear great lines from all over the place! Great one-liners are meant to be shared, so here they are.
Last Monday I was at an event called Theology on Tap. It's a discussion geared toward Catholic young adults (though anyone is welcome) and held in a local bar one night a week for several weeks (about 6 usually). So the speaker last Monday was talking about conversion, specifically his story of conversion to the Catholic Church. At one point he was talking about the typical stumbling blocks for non-Catholic Christians who have an interest in learning more about the Church. He mentioned Mary, but he didn't feel that this was a stumbling block for him; he mentioned the Eucharist, but again didn't feel that this was a stumbling block for him; and he mentioned the authority of the Pope, which again he felt he came around to accepting that part of the Church fairly quickly. That's when he said this great one-liner:
"You can't have unity without authority."
I never thought about it like that before!! It was such a simple way of putting it. And it's so true. Christ left us ONE Church. He did not want 30 million churches (or however many it is) independent from each other. He did not want disagreements in beliefs to cause people to break away from a church they disagreed with in order to start a new church. Christ said to Peter: "upon this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16:18-19). The "rock" was Peter (whose Aramaic name means rock), our first Pope, and the apostles were our first Bishops, who passed the Word of God on to those who followed them and so on down the line to today. In order for us to remain one Church we need that authority, someone in charge, someone to make the hard decisions, and that someone is the Pope and our Bishops.
We need Authority in order to be "ONE, holy, catholic, and apostolic church" (notice "catholic" is lower-case, meaning "universal" here). Such a nice succinct way of putting it: "you can't have unity without authority."
The second great one-liner of the week was something I heard on the radio. We were in the car going somewhere and listening to Catholic Answers Live, a nationally syndicated program from EWTN. Someone called in to ask a question about Eucharistic miracles. I don't remember the question so much but I remember one part of the answer:
"Eucharistic miracles are like the whipped cream on top of the faith."
Catholics should get that! Don't get it? Keep reading, I'll explain.
Catholics believe that during the consecration of the bread and wine during the Mass the substances of bread and wine do in fact become the body and blood of Christ. They are not mere symbols (as some Christians believe) nor are they still just bread and wine until you consume them (as some other Christians believe). In the Catholic Church they become the actual body and blood of Christ on the altar and remain that way. As a result, we treat it very carefully and we save any extras in a tabernacle to be used at a later time. This is the sacred body and blood of Christ himself.
Now you may ask, where does this belief some from?? That's easy! My favorite section of the Bible!! John chapter 6, the Bread of Life Discourse. In particular I point you to John 6:22-35. Here Jesus tells his followers that they must partake of the Bread of Life to have eternal life. Eternal life!! Wow, they say, how can we get some of this! And Jesus says, "I am the bread of life." Jesus explains this further in vs. 36-40. Then in vs. 41 the Jews grumble about this. If Jesus did not intend for them to actualy partake in Him as the Bread of Life, he had a chance here to explain that he was speaking symbolically. But he does not, so He explains it all again (John 6:43-51). Again the Jews quarrel about this, it is just too hard to understand! He can't possibly be talking about actually eating His body, can he? So Jesus explains once more in John 6:53-58, and He doesn't change His story. Finally, His disciples say to him, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" (John 6:60). I love how Jesus then says to them in vs. 61, "Does this shock you?" Yes, I'm sure it did, as it still shocks people today! He explains again in the following verses and He still does not change His story, He is not speaking symbolically. Finally, in John 6:66 we read, "As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him."
Wow!! It was such a hard concept that many disciples left him! They just couldn't follow that teaching. Now, if Jesus was actually speaking symbolically, I think he had several opportunities to explain himself, three according to my count, and he could have called those disciples that left Him back. But He did not. He intended for the bread and wine to indeed become His body and blood and for us to partake of His body and blood. How amazing that we have that in the Catholic Church!!
So there have been lots of Eucharistic miracles throughout the ages. I've heard stories of priests who started doubting that what they held in their hands was the Body of Christ only to have it turn into actual flesh. I've heard stories of consecrated hosts bleeding, several of those have been scientifically studied and proven to be human blood. The amazing thing about those miracles is that, for those that have been tested, they are always the same blood type and one that is very common among the people of the Middle East. (I forget what it is.) There are lots and lots of these miracles on record. I find it hard to not believe in the True Presence in the Eucharist when I read these stories.
Getting to the one-liner I heard: "Eucharistic miracles are like the whipped cream on top of the faith." This is such a great way of saying that belief in those miracles is fine, but the real miracle is the one Jesus gave us in the Eucharist. This is like icing on the cake, or whipped cream on a sundae. It's already good, great even, this is just a little something extra.
Two very cool one-liners about the Catholic faith this past week. I hope you enjoy them too. I'm going to keep my ears tuned for more great one-liners I can share.
Last Monday I was at an event called Theology on Tap. It's a discussion geared toward Catholic young adults (though anyone is welcome) and held in a local bar one night a week for several weeks (about 6 usually). So the speaker last Monday was talking about conversion, specifically his story of conversion to the Catholic Church. At one point he was talking about the typical stumbling blocks for non-Catholic Christians who have an interest in learning more about the Church. He mentioned Mary, but he didn't feel that this was a stumbling block for him; he mentioned the Eucharist, but again didn't feel that this was a stumbling block for him; and he mentioned the authority of the Pope, which again he felt he came around to accepting that part of the Church fairly quickly. That's when he said this great one-liner:
"You can't have unity without authority."
I never thought about it like that before!! It was such a simple way of putting it. And it's so true. Christ left us ONE Church. He did not want 30 million churches (or however many it is) independent from each other. He did not want disagreements in beliefs to cause people to break away from a church they disagreed with in order to start a new church. Christ said to Peter: "upon this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16:18-19). The "rock" was Peter (whose Aramaic name means rock), our first Pope, and the apostles were our first Bishops, who passed the Word of God on to those who followed them and so on down the line to today. In order for us to remain one Church we need that authority, someone in charge, someone to make the hard decisions, and that someone is the Pope and our Bishops.
We need Authority in order to be "ONE, holy, catholic, and apostolic church" (notice "catholic" is lower-case, meaning "universal" here). Such a nice succinct way of putting it: "you can't have unity without authority."
The second great one-liner of the week was something I heard on the radio. We were in the car going somewhere and listening to Catholic Answers Live, a nationally syndicated program from EWTN. Someone called in to ask a question about Eucharistic miracles. I don't remember the question so much but I remember one part of the answer:
"Eucharistic miracles are like the whipped cream on top of the faith."
Catholics should get that! Don't get it? Keep reading, I'll explain.
Catholics believe that during the consecration of the bread and wine during the Mass the substances of bread and wine do in fact become the body and blood of Christ. They are not mere symbols (as some Christians believe) nor are they still just bread and wine until you consume them (as some other Christians believe). In the Catholic Church they become the actual body and blood of Christ on the altar and remain that way. As a result, we treat it very carefully and we save any extras in a tabernacle to be used at a later time. This is the sacred body and blood of Christ himself.
Now you may ask, where does this belief some from?? That's easy! My favorite section of the Bible!! John chapter 6, the Bread of Life Discourse. In particular I point you to John 6:22-35. Here Jesus tells his followers that they must partake of the Bread of Life to have eternal life. Eternal life!! Wow, they say, how can we get some of this! And Jesus says, "I am the bread of life." Jesus explains this further in vs. 36-40. Then in vs. 41 the Jews grumble about this. If Jesus did not intend for them to actualy partake in Him as the Bread of Life, he had a chance here to explain that he was speaking symbolically. But he does not, so He explains it all again (John 6:43-51). Again the Jews quarrel about this, it is just too hard to understand! He can't possibly be talking about actually eating His body, can he? So Jesus explains once more in John 6:53-58, and He doesn't change His story. Finally, His disciples say to him, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" (John 6:60). I love how Jesus then says to them in vs. 61, "Does this shock you?" Yes, I'm sure it did, as it still shocks people today! He explains again in the following verses and He still does not change His story, He is not speaking symbolically. Finally, in John 6:66 we read, "As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him."
Wow!! It was such a hard concept that many disciples left him! They just couldn't follow that teaching. Now, if Jesus was actually speaking symbolically, I think he had several opportunities to explain himself, three according to my count, and he could have called those disciples that left Him back. But He did not. He intended for the bread and wine to indeed become His body and blood and for us to partake of His body and blood. How amazing that we have that in the Catholic Church!!
So there have been lots of Eucharistic miracles throughout the ages. I've heard stories of priests who started doubting that what they held in their hands was the Body of Christ only to have it turn into actual flesh. I've heard stories of consecrated hosts bleeding, several of those have been scientifically studied and proven to be human blood. The amazing thing about those miracles is that, for those that have been tested, they are always the same blood type and one that is very common among the people of the Middle East. (I forget what it is.) There are lots and lots of these miracles on record. I find it hard to not believe in the True Presence in the Eucharist when I read these stories.
Getting to the one-liner I heard: "Eucharistic miracles are like the whipped cream on top of the faith." This is such a great way of saying that belief in those miracles is fine, but the real miracle is the one Jesus gave us in the Eucharist. This is like icing on the cake, or whipped cream on a sundae. It's already good, great even, this is just a little something extra.
Two very cool one-liners about the Catholic faith this past week. I hope you enjoy them too. I'm going to keep my ears tuned for more great one-liners I can share.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Lenten experiences and more
A friend of mine is giving a talk about Lent to her church's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) group. So to prepare she decided to ask others a few questions and get their thoughts about Lent and then share them with the RCIA group. (RCIA, by the way, is the program you go through if you are becoming Catholic, or even coming back to the Church after a long hiatus and want to brush up on the Church's teachings.)
For those who don't know, Lent is a forty day penitential season in the Church year when members of Christ's Church here on earth make a sacrifice of some kind or add some sort of spiritual practice to our day that we do not normally do; in addition Catholics and Orthodox Christians also abstain from meat every Friday. During this time of year, you'll find Catholic and Orthodox churches offering more frequent times for receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there are Lenten Missions, and often the Praying of the Stations of the Cross every Friday. The basis for this practice in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is the Temptation in the Desert (Mt 4:1-2, Mk 1:12-13, and Lk 4:1-2). Lent starts this coming Wednesday, Feb. 17. We'll fast that day (two small meals, one regular size meal, only water, no snacks) and we'll go to Mass and receive ashes on our foreheads as a reminder that we came from ashes and will return to ashes. It's quite moving to be reminded of your mortal nature and dependence on God at this time every year! And from there, Lent starts and lasts until Holy Week (more on Holy Week at a later time!).
So now on to the discussion of my friend's questions about Lent:
1. Do you have a memorable Lenten experience?
I don't know that I could say that any Lent has ever been particularly memorable. I do remember things I've given up and how that was during that time. One that came to mind was the year I gave up TV. I allowed myself only a half hour a day that had to be news/weather and nothing else. I don't think I even watched any DVD movies either. The best part was that by not watching TV I had more time to read and I made sure to read spiritually based books (trash novels didn't seem appropriate). Once Lent was over, I continued not watching much TV for several months. It was really great!! Unfortunately, that is no longer the case!
2. What does Lent mean to you?
As a kid it was kind of a drudgery, as I got a little older it was mostly just a way to remind myself of my new year's resolutions (seemed a good time for it). Now, as an adult, having come back to the faith, it means a lot more, not even sure I can put it into words. I love the idea of sacrifice, and I know that nothing I could ever sacrifice can come close to Christ's sacrifice for us, which just makes the idea of giving up chocolate or TV or whatever seem so small. I also love that during the Mass we do not sing the Gloria and then when we get to Easter we have such an incredibly joyous Mass, with the Gloria and everything!! I also have a huge appreciation for Holy Week. I try to go to everything during Holy Week (Tenebre, which is done at the Cathedral, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday), it is the church at her best!
3. Why do you Love Lent?
I think I might have answered that above. But I can add that I love how the church seems to come together more. More people are at Daily Mass, there is always a Lenten Mission, Stations of the Cross every Friday, and people always make the time to come to reconciliation during Lent. It's like a family holiday where the whole church family finally shows up. That's really awesome!
4. How does Lent prepare you for Easter?
For me the highly penitential nature of Lent makes Easter so incredibly joyous! Also, by making some sort of regular sacrifice or adding some form of regular prayer to my day that I don't normally do, I think my mind is more focused and I'm more aware of Christ's presence by the time we get to Easter.
As for this year's sacrifice, I haven't yet decided. Only a few days to go, though!! Last year I added in saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day. That was a challenge on weekends, but pretty easy during the week day (I scheduled it on my calendar!). I think the year before that I gave up chocolate. This year I would like to do something that adds to my spiritual growth. I'm considering reading a specified section or two (or three??) of the Catechism, or maybe reading one spiritual book a week, which would be hard since it seems to take me weeks and weeks to read just one these days! Hopefully I'll decide soon.
I wish everyone a Lent full of thoughtful growth in your spiritual lives and sacrifices that make a difference in your understanding of God's gifts to you. What a wonderful gift Lent is as a preparation for the joyfulness of Easter when we celebrate the Resurrection! May Lent be good to you this year!
For those who don't know, Lent is a forty day penitential season in the Church year when members of Christ's Church here on earth make a sacrifice of some kind or add some sort of spiritual practice to our day that we do not normally do; in addition Catholics and Orthodox Christians also abstain from meat every Friday. During this time of year, you'll find Catholic and Orthodox churches offering more frequent times for receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there are Lenten Missions, and often the Praying of the Stations of the Cross every Friday. The basis for this practice in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is the Temptation in the Desert (Mt 4:1-2, Mk 1:12-13, and Lk 4:1-2). Lent starts this coming Wednesday, Feb. 17. We'll fast that day (two small meals, one regular size meal, only water, no snacks) and we'll go to Mass and receive ashes on our foreheads as a reminder that we came from ashes and will return to ashes. It's quite moving to be reminded of your mortal nature and dependence on God at this time every year! And from there, Lent starts and lasts until Holy Week (more on Holy Week at a later time!).
So now on to the discussion of my friend's questions about Lent:
1. Do you have a memorable Lenten experience?
I don't know that I could say that any Lent has ever been particularly memorable. I do remember things I've given up and how that was during that time. One that came to mind was the year I gave up TV. I allowed myself only a half hour a day that had to be news/weather and nothing else. I don't think I even watched any DVD movies either. The best part was that by not watching TV I had more time to read and I made sure to read spiritually based books (trash novels didn't seem appropriate). Once Lent was over, I continued not watching much TV for several months. It was really great!! Unfortunately, that is no longer the case!
2. What does Lent mean to you?
As a kid it was kind of a drudgery, as I got a little older it was mostly just a way to remind myself of my new year's resolutions (seemed a good time for it). Now, as an adult, having come back to the faith, it means a lot more, not even sure I can put it into words. I love the idea of sacrifice, and I know that nothing I could ever sacrifice can come close to Christ's sacrifice for us, which just makes the idea of giving up chocolate or TV or whatever seem so small. I also love that during the Mass we do not sing the Gloria and then when we get to Easter we have such an incredibly joyous Mass, with the Gloria and everything!! I also have a huge appreciation for Holy Week. I try to go to everything during Holy Week (Tenebre, which is done at the Cathedral, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday), it is the church at her best!
3. Why do you Love Lent?
I think I might have answered that above. But I can add that I love how the church seems to come together more. More people are at Daily Mass, there is always a Lenten Mission, Stations of the Cross every Friday, and people always make the time to come to reconciliation during Lent. It's like a family holiday where the whole church family finally shows up. That's really awesome!
4. How does Lent prepare you for Easter?
For me the highly penitential nature of Lent makes Easter so incredibly joyous! Also, by making some sort of regular sacrifice or adding some form of regular prayer to my day that I don't normally do, I think my mind is more focused and I'm more aware of Christ's presence by the time we get to Easter.
As for this year's sacrifice, I haven't yet decided. Only a few days to go, though!! Last year I added in saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day. That was a challenge on weekends, but pretty easy during the week day (I scheduled it on my calendar!). I think the year before that I gave up chocolate. This year I would like to do something that adds to my spiritual growth. I'm considering reading a specified section or two (or three??) of the Catechism, or maybe reading one spiritual book a week, which would be hard since it seems to take me weeks and weeks to read just one these days! Hopefully I'll decide soon.
I wish everyone a Lent full of thoughtful growth in your spiritual lives and sacrifices that make a difference in your understanding of God's gifts to you. What a wonderful gift Lent is as a preparation for the joyfulness of Easter when we celebrate the Resurrection! May Lent be good to you this year!
Thursday, February 04, 2010
KY Pro-Life Bill
For those readers who live in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, there is a very important Bill that needs our support. Senate Bill 38 has been voted on and passed in our state Senate. It is currently sitting in committee in the House. It has passed the Senate in previous years but never makes it to a vote in the House. Let's urge our representatives to bring it to a vote this year!
Senate Bill 38 is also referred to as the Ultrasound Bill. Currently in KY, abortionists do have to inform a woman about the procedure, but can get away with pre-recorded messages or a simple phone call. In many of these cases, the woman doesn't have the ability to ask questions. This Bill would require an abortion doctor to actually be face-to-face with her and to show her an ultrasound of her preborn child. She doesn't have to view it, but the option has to be there. It has been shown in many states with similar laws that when women see the ultrasound they often choose not to have the abortion because they recognize that they are carrying a human person and not just a bundle of cells (which is what they are often told). Passage of this bill could potentially save many, many lives of preborn children in Kentucky.
Even those who call themselves Pro-Choice should support Senate Bill 38. If a woman is going to make a fully formed decision, she needs all the information in front of her, and no lies. This Bill would force abortionists to do just that. If those who are Pro-Choice do indeed believe that abortion should be rare, then legislation such as this is important for us ALL to support.
Even President Obama has said he is open to seeking common ground on the abortion issue. This would be one step in that direction.
How can you support?? It's easy! You can call the KY Legislature at 800-372-7181 and leave a message for your representatives to support Senate Bill 38. You don't even need to know who your particular representative is, they will take care of that.
Or, if you prefer not to use the phone like me, you can do what I did! Go to this website: Find Your Legislator and click the link to the KY State Board of Elections Voter Information Center. Once there type in the info it asks for and it will tell you what your district number is. Once you have that you can go to the Kentucky Legislature page and click on "Members by District" under House of Representatives. You can then find your District number and see who your representative is and email him or her directly. I actually emailed both my representative and my senator. My senator emailed me back within the hour and informed me that he had voted yes on this already.
Please support Senate Bill 38!! It's time to make sure that women understand that when they choose an abortion they are choosing to end a life. Contact your KY state representative today!
Senate Bill 38 is also referred to as the Ultrasound Bill. Currently in KY, abortionists do have to inform a woman about the procedure, but can get away with pre-recorded messages or a simple phone call. In many of these cases, the woman doesn't have the ability to ask questions. This Bill would require an abortion doctor to actually be face-to-face with her and to show her an ultrasound of her preborn child. She doesn't have to view it, but the option has to be there. It has been shown in many states with similar laws that when women see the ultrasound they often choose not to have the abortion because they recognize that they are carrying a human person and not just a bundle of cells (which is what they are often told). Passage of this bill could potentially save many, many lives of preborn children in Kentucky.
Even those who call themselves Pro-Choice should support Senate Bill 38. If a woman is going to make a fully formed decision, she needs all the information in front of her, and no lies. This Bill would force abortionists to do just that. If those who are Pro-Choice do indeed believe that abortion should be rare, then legislation such as this is important for us ALL to support.
Even President Obama has said he is open to seeking common ground on the abortion issue. This would be one step in that direction.
How can you support?? It's easy! You can call the KY Legislature at 800-372-7181 and leave a message for your representatives to support Senate Bill 38. You don't even need to know who your particular representative is, they will take care of that.
Or, if you prefer not to use the phone like me, you can do what I did! Go to this website: Find Your Legislator and click the link to the KY State Board of Elections Voter Information Center. Once there type in the info it asks for and it will tell you what your district number is. Once you have that you can go to the Kentucky Legislature page and click on "Members by District" under House of Representatives. You can then find your District number and see who your representative is and email him or her directly. I actually emailed both my representative and my senator. My senator emailed me back within the hour and informed me that he had voted yes on this already.
Please support Senate Bill 38!! It's time to make sure that women understand that when they choose an abortion they are choosing to end a life. Contact your KY state representative today!
Resolutions One Month Later
One month into the new year and I'm making progress on at least one of my resolutions. Here's the update:
1. More regular blog posting: I can see from my blog archive that I had 6 posts in January. That's an average of more than one a week. So that's an improvement! It's only February, so still plenty of time to work on this resolution.
2. Daily Rosary: So far so good!! This is such a great accomplishment for us. We haven't missed a day since January 1st. The best part about it, is that for at least 20 minutes or so each night, we sit on the couch together and spend some time in prayer. No more how hectic our day is, those 20+ minutes have become sacred to me. I love leaning up against my sweet hubby and praying the Rosary together. Not only that, but we accomplished a novena and I've finally learned the St. Michael the Archangel prayer!
3. Read more: This is such a challenge for me. I've been concentrating this past month on just trying to read the Sunday paper and the magazines we get. I did read a quick fiction book the first few days of January and I have started a second (non-fiction) book, but that's about it. Keeping up with the magazines that come into my house is pretty hard at times, but that stack is slowly dwindling, at least for now!!
4. Healthier Lifestyle: This is the perpetual resolution. This year I have the added pressure of a family weight loss challenge, and there is $20 at stake!! But, I still only made it to the gym twice this past month (February is getting off to a much better start, already have two sessions in at the gym!), though we did take a walk one day when the weather was nice (amazing for January). In the food department I am starting to do better. I'm watching portions better, not eating sweets as much, and getting as much water and as many vegetables and some fruits in every day. The weight loss challenge started Nov. 30, but whatever weight I lost between then and Christmas I gained back by the time 2010 started, so I was pretty much back at square one. As far as I can tell I'm down about 3.5 lbs. Not great, but it's a start. 2 more lbs. and I'll be back to where I was before my last pregnancy, ten more after that to get back to where I was before the first pregnancy, and another ten to get to my wedding weight. It is doable, probably not between now and May, but a lot can happen between now and May as well, including a pregnancy!! Any prayers for that will be greatly appreciated!!
I hope I'll have good things to report on all fronts by the start of March.
1. More regular blog posting: I can see from my blog archive that I had 6 posts in January. That's an average of more than one a week. So that's an improvement! It's only February, so still plenty of time to work on this resolution.
2. Daily Rosary: So far so good!! This is such a great accomplishment for us. We haven't missed a day since January 1st. The best part about it, is that for at least 20 minutes or so each night, we sit on the couch together and spend some time in prayer. No more how hectic our day is, those 20+ minutes have become sacred to me. I love leaning up against my sweet hubby and praying the Rosary together. Not only that, but we accomplished a novena and I've finally learned the St. Michael the Archangel prayer!
3. Read more: This is such a challenge for me. I've been concentrating this past month on just trying to read the Sunday paper and the magazines we get. I did read a quick fiction book the first few days of January and I have started a second (non-fiction) book, but that's about it. Keeping up with the magazines that come into my house is pretty hard at times, but that stack is slowly dwindling, at least for now!!
4. Healthier Lifestyle: This is the perpetual resolution. This year I have the added pressure of a family weight loss challenge, and there is $20 at stake!! But, I still only made it to the gym twice this past month (February is getting off to a much better start, already have two sessions in at the gym!), though we did take a walk one day when the weather was nice (amazing for January). In the food department I am starting to do better. I'm watching portions better, not eating sweets as much, and getting as much water and as many vegetables and some fruits in every day. The weight loss challenge started Nov. 30, but whatever weight I lost between then and Christmas I gained back by the time 2010 started, so I was pretty much back at square one. As far as I can tell I'm down about 3.5 lbs. Not great, but it's a start. 2 more lbs. and I'll be back to where I was before my last pregnancy, ten more after that to get back to where I was before the first pregnancy, and another ten to get to my wedding weight. It is doable, probably not between now and May, but a lot can happen between now and May as well, including a pregnancy!! Any prayers for that will be greatly appreciated!!
I hope I'll have good things to report on all fronts by the start of March.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Part of my weekend
My Saturday morning was spent with a wonderful group of ladies at a SHE support group meeting. We celebrated one year of this support ministry and had a guest speaker.
The guest speaker talked about her own struggles with having children and how she finally came to be the mother of five children. One biological, three from Guatemala, and one a domestic adoption. At 49 she has five kids ages 11 to 2. What an amazing story she had!!
We then celebrated! The group has been together for one year. It was started by a wonderful friend of mine and I have met some wonderful people through it. I had won a birthday cake back in November from a bakery in Paris, KY. I hadn't had a chance to actually use the gift certificate so offered to get a birthday cake for this group's one year anniversary.
Oh, and we also have a new logo!!
Check out the new logo, a picture of the cake, and a picture of the group at the blog Percolating Petals.
The guest speaker talked about her own struggles with having children and how she finally came to be the mother of five children. One biological, three from Guatemala, and one a domestic adoption. At 49 she has five kids ages 11 to 2. What an amazing story she had!!
We then celebrated! The group has been together for one year. It was started by a wonderful friend of mine and I have met some wonderful people through it. I had won a birthday cake back in November from a bakery in Paris, KY. I hadn't had a chance to actually use the gift certificate so offered to get a birthday cake for this group's one year anniversary.
Oh, and we also have a new logo!!
Check out the new logo, a picture of the cake, and a picture of the group at the blog Percolating Petals.
Friday, January 22, 2010
What Do You Do?
I rarely use my blog to talk about my work. And I don't intend to start. However, I was reflecting on something today that did involve work so I am going to let my work seep into this post. I promise I will not start a trend.
So how often have you been socializing in a group and people ask you, "What do you do?" Probably too many times to count! It's a frequent questions. It helps break the ice, it allows people to discuss the similarities in their jobs and/or to ask questions about the differences in their jobs. It's a safe question to ask when you're at a party, on an airplane, or at some sort of social event.
Monday evening my husband and I attended a Theology on Tap session on vocations. One thing discussed was the difference between your vocation and your job. Your vocation comes first; God calls you to your vocation. For example, my vocation is as a wife and mother, my job is as a librarian. My job will always (and should always) be secondary to my vocation. There are many vocations: husband, wife, priest, nun, religious sister, religious brother. Even deacon is a vocation, but a slightly more complicated one that we won't get into here since some deacons are also married, thus living two vocations.
All of this wasn't news to me, but it was nice to hear it proclaimed. And kind of leads into my reflections later in the week.
Thursday at work, I submitted a proposal to my supervisor for a project I want to work on. No big deal, just one of those things that I do on occasion.
Thursday evening I went to Bible Study and during the social time between the small group session and the lecture someone asked me what I did. So her and I and my husband started talking about our various jobs. Mostly the two of them talked because they were both engineers at Lexmark.
But I did think some about how I sometimes answer that question. In that setting I just said I was a librarian. Short and simple, no details. I might have mentioned that I work mostly with music materials and that I wasn't at the main library. Most people assume that if you say you're a librarian at UK you work at the main library, not realizing that we have about 10-12 campus libraries.
Anyway, depending on who I am talking to depends on how much information I tend to give out. My job can be difficult to explain sometimes.
Okay, remember that proposal I submitted on Thursday? I'm getting to it! So, I get to work on Friday morning and, while I was waiting for a meeting to start, I checked my email (gotta love technology!) and my supervisor had forwarded my proposal to our Associate Dean for her approval. She was in full support of it (yay!) but did add that if the AD agreed, I should probably add some language into the proposal about providing access to hidden collections.
Okay, so this is where I started thinking about the real question: What is it that I really do?? You know, there is the question people ask in social situations and there are appropriate answers for those situations. And then there is a similar question that is asked amongst colleagues, because even people with the same job titles do different things. And there are answers (usually of a more technical nature) for that.
My reflection on this situation has more to do with the state I see of libraries right now. And I'm not talking about whether or not we are viable institutions in the age of Google, or whether e-books and the Internet are going to be the primary sources of information seeking one day and make libraries obsolete. Those conversations are for other people to bat back and forth. For me, I'm interested in perspectives of librarians from other librarians.
Slowly over the 10 years I've been in the profession I see more and more catalogers having to justify their work. I keep telling people that if all the catalogers left, the library would run perfectly fine for a while. But it won't take long to realize that new things are no longer in the catalog. I think catalogers are viewed with less and less of a professional eye, like we are just data entry people and that any sort of specialization on our part is of our own making. If you believe that, try running a library with no catalogers, or untrained catalogers, and we'll see how long you last.
In addition to my daily job, I also used to teach cataloging. I always emphasized to my students that the role of the cataloger is to provide access to collections and that as a cataloger you have to know who your patrons (or customers) are. Who are they? They are the students, faculty, community members that are using the catalog to find materials. They are also the public service librarians who are using the catalog to find materials for the patrons. They are the collection managers who need to know if we have an item already before they buy it again. In other words, our whole job revolves around knowing what our patrons want so that we can provide access to the collections.
That sounds like a public service kind of job! Guess what: cataloging is a public service!
So having my supervisor say that maybe my proposal (which is a cataloging proposal) needs some language in it about providing access seems, to me anyway, redundant. Isn't that the whole point? And don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing her, I'm criticizing the fact that it has become so ingrained in us as catalogers that we have to tell other librarians that the reason we're doing any particular project (or even just our jobs) is to provide access.
Um ... raise your hand if you think I like to catalog books, scores, and sound recordings for my own edification.
No hands better be up!!
I do it for our patrons and for the other librarians. And that should be the mantra of all cataloging librarians. That's why we do what we do! Who cares how perfect the record is and that you followed all the rules, can your patrons find it?
(Okay, some people may read this and say, "but K, you are such a stickler for the rules?" To which I say: yes, I am, but I know where to draw the line as well.)
All this being said, I will probably add in the appropriate language to my proposal if asked, because I know that the politics of the library require that this be done. The reality is that yes, we do have to explain our jobs to the people we work with every day. It's kind of sad, really, because if I asked a reference librarian what they did and why they bothered doing it, they'd probably look at me funny. We all know what they do, or we should.
In the end, it is just a job. And a job I like and get a lot of pleasure out of doing. It is good to complete a difficult original record, to finally find that perfect subject heading for that obscure dissertation, to untangle a mess of different editions of an item that all ended up on the same record, and to do research into a name heading that provides enough information to finally split two people from the same undifferentiated name authority record. And as much satisfaction as I may get out of some of these tasks, I do it all in service of the customers of my library: the professors, students, and other librarians that have to use the library and its materials for their research and education needs.
That is what I do; this is my job. But more importantly, my vocation is as a wife and mother. Above all of this, I serve my husband every day as his partner, just as he serves me. And one day we will be given the responsibility to raise children who will also go into the world to serve others in the vocation God calls them to as husbands or wives or priests (God-willing) or nuns or religious brothers or sisters.
So how often have you been socializing in a group and people ask you, "What do you do?" Probably too many times to count! It's a frequent questions. It helps break the ice, it allows people to discuss the similarities in their jobs and/or to ask questions about the differences in their jobs. It's a safe question to ask when you're at a party, on an airplane, or at some sort of social event.
Monday evening my husband and I attended a Theology on Tap session on vocations. One thing discussed was the difference between your vocation and your job. Your vocation comes first; God calls you to your vocation. For example, my vocation is as a wife and mother, my job is as a librarian. My job will always (and should always) be secondary to my vocation. There are many vocations: husband, wife, priest, nun, religious sister, religious brother. Even deacon is a vocation, but a slightly more complicated one that we won't get into here since some deacons are also married, thus living two vocations.
All of this wasn't news to me, but it was nice to hear it proclaimed. And kind of leads into my reflections later in the week.
Thursday at work, I submitted a proposal to my supervisor for a project I want to work on. No big deal, just one of those things that I do on occasion.
Thursday evening I went to Bible Study and during the social time between the small group session and the lecture someone asked me what I did. So her and I and my husband started talking about our various jobs. Mostly the two of them talked because they were both engineers at Lexmark.
But I did think some about how I sometimes answer that question. In that setting I just said I was a librarian. Short and simple, no details. I might have mentioned that I work mostly with music materials and that I wasn't at the main library. Most people assume that if you say you're a librarian at UK you work at the main library, not realizing that we have about 10-12 campus libraries.
Anyway, depending on who I am talking to depends on how much information I tend to give out. My job can be difficult to explain sometimes.
Okay, remember that proposal I submitted on Thursday? I'm getting to it! So, I get to work on Friday morning and, while I was waiting for a meeting to start, I checked my email (gotta love technology!) and my supervisor had forwarded my proposal to our Associate Dean for her approval. She was in full support of it (yay!) but did add that if the AD agreed, I should probably add some language into the proposal about providing access to hidden collections.
Okay, so this is where I started thinking about the real question: What is it that I really do?? You know, there is the question people ask in social situations and there are appropriate answers for those situations. And then there is a similar question that is asked amongst colleagues, because even people with the same job titles do different things. And there are answers (usually of a more technical nature) for that.
My reflection on this situation has more to do with the state I see of libraries right now. And I'm not talking about whether or not we are viable institutions in the age of Google, or whether e-books and the Internet are going to be the primary sources of information seeking one day and make libraries obsolete. Those conversations are for other people to bat back and forth. For me, I'm interested in perspectives of librarians from other librarians.
Slowly over the 10 years I've been in the profession I see more and more catalogers having to justify their work. I keep telling people that if all the catalogers left, the library would run perfectly fine for a while. But it won't take long to realize that new things are no longer in the catalog. I think catalogers are viewed with less and less of a professional eye, like we are just data entry people and that any sort of specialization on our part is of our own making. If you believe that, try running a library with no catalogers, or untrained catalogers, and we'll see how long you last.
In addition to my daily job, I also used to teach cataloging. I always emphasized to my students that the role of the cataloger is to provide access to collections and that as a cataloger you have to know who your patrons (or customers) are. Who are they? They are the students, faculty, community members that are using the catalog to find materials. They are also the public service librarians who are using the catalog to find materials for the patrons. They are the collection managers who need to know if we have an item already before they buy it again. In other words, our whole job revolves around knowing what our patrons want so that we can provide access to the collections.
That sounds like a public service kind of job! Guess what: cataloging is a public service!
So having my supervisor say that maybe my proposal (which is a cataloging proposal) needs some language in it about providing access seems, to me anyway, redundant. Isn't that the whole point? And don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing her, I'm criticizing the fact that it has become so ingrained in us as catalogers that we have to tell other librarians that the reason we're doing any particular project (or even just our jobs) is to provide access.
Um ... raise your hand if you think I like to catalog books, scores, and sound recordings for my own edification.
No hands better be up!!
I do it for our patrons and for the other librarians. And that should be the mantra of all cataloging librarians. That's why we do what we do! Who cares how perfect the record is and that you followed all the rules, can your patrons find it?
(Okay, some people may read this and say, "but K, you are such a stickler for the rules?" To which I say: yes, I am, but I know where to draw the line as well.)
All this being said, I will probably add in the appropriate language to my proposal if asked, because I know that the politics of the library require that this be done. The reality is that yes, we do have to explain our jobs to the people we work with every day. It's kind of sad, really, because if I asked a reference librarian what they did and why they bothered doing it, they'd probably look at me funny. We all know what they do, or we should.
In the end, it is just a job. And a job I like and get a lot of pleasure out of doing. It is good to complete a difficult original record, to finally find that perfect subject heading for that obscure dissertation, to untangle a mess of different editions of an item that all ended up on the same record, and to do research into a name heading that provides enough information to finally split two people from the same undifferentiated name authority record. And as much satisfaction as I may get out of some of these tasks, I do it all in service of the customers of my library: the professors, students, and other librarians that have to use the library and its materials for their research and education needs.
That is what I do; this is my job. But more importantly, my vocation is as a wife and mother. Above all of this, I serve my husband every day as his partner, just as he serves me. And one day we will be given the responsibility to raise children who will also go into the world to serve others in the vocation God calls them to as husbands or wives or priests (God-willing) or nuns or religious brothers or sisters.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Letter to my Son
My Dear Baby Zachary,
Today would have been your first birthday. We probably would have celebrated with a party this weekend, thankful to have you with us. But instead we remembered the loss of you at a Mass last night at the Cathedral where we had hoped to have you baptized. Today should be a happy day, but it will forever be bittersweet.
Today I have been thinking about what you would be doing as a one-year old little boy. I think about how you would be crawling around our house, how I'd have gates up on the stairs and there would be toys everywhere. Probably too many toys from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. By now you would probably also be starting to pull yourself up and making your first attempts at walking. We'd be watching you every second waiting for those fateful first steps. Those first steps that tell us that now you'll be harder to chase after. You would also be eating more and growing bigger every day. We'd be able to laugh with you, and make noises with you, and "converse" in your own special baby talk. I sometimes wonder what unique surprises you would have for us in your personality and all the little things you would do and discover every day.
One year ago today I sat in a hospital room and prayed that God would help you to live. I was more than happy to accept whatever difficulties might come with having a baby too soon. Whatever the consequences of coming at such an early age in your development, I was willing to be a part of those challenges. No matter what, our love for you would make it all worth it. Unfortunately none of that was to be. Instead you went to our heavenly home.
We miss you every day. Every day I think about how different life would be if you had lived instead of leaving us so soon. I'm grateful for the short time I got to hold you in my arms and see you in your daddy's arms.
But I am also happy to know that you are already home. I know that you are held in Our Mother Mary's arms, that you are with Jesus, and you and Casey are praying for us. As a mother I am so happy to know that both my children are in heaven and are already saints, able to hear our prayers and intercede with God for us. You are a special saint and I pray that one day I will be reunited with you.
But until that day, I will continue to think of you. And especially every year on this date, I will remember those precious few moments I had with you.
Today, when I leave work, I will stop at a store and pick up a few flowers and instead of driving past the cemetery I will turn in and come visit you. I'm sure your marker is covered with snow and it may take a moment to locate it. But once I do I will brush it off, say a prayer, and leave both the flowers and a small stone to let others know I was there.
Zachary, you are missed by so many people. We all keep your memory in our hearts and will never forget you. Even one year later it brings tears to my eyes when I think about you. Pray for us, little Zachary, and know that you are remembered here as well.
With love, little one,
Your Mother
Today would have been your first birthday. We probably would have celebrated with a party this weekend, thankful to have you with us. But instead we remembered the loss of you at a Mass last night at the Cathedral where we had hoped to have you baptized. Today should be a happy day, but it will forever be bittersweet.
Today I have been thinking about what you would be doing as a one-year old little boy. I think about how you would be crawling around our house, how I'd have gates up on the stairs and there would be toys everywhere. Probably too many toys from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. By now you would probably also be starting to pull yourself up and making your first attempts at walking. We'd be watching you every second waiting for those fateful first steps. Those first steps that tell us that now you'll be harder to chase after. You would also be eating more and growing bigger every day. We'd be able to laugh with you, and make noises with you, and "converse" in your own special baby talk. I sometimes wonder what unique surprises you would have for us in your personality and all the little things you would do and discover every day.
One year ago today I sat in a hospital room and prayed that God would help you to live. I was more than happy to accept whatever difficulties might come with having a baby too soon. Whatever the consequences of coming at such an early age in your development, I was willing to be a part of those challenges. No matter what, our love for you would make it all worth it. Unfortunately none of that was to be. Instead you went to our heavenly home.
We miss you every day. Every day I think about how different life would be if you had lived instead of leaving us so soon. I'm grateful for the short time I got to hold you in my arms and see you in your daddy's arms.
But I am also happy to know that you are already home. I know that you are held in Our Mother Mary's arms, that you are with Jesus, and you and Casey are praying for us. As a mother I am so happy to know that both my children are in heaven and are already saints, able to hear our prayers and intercede with God for us. You are a special saint and I pray that one day I will be reunited with you.
But until that day, I will continue to think of you. And especially every year on this date, I will remember those precious few moments I had with you.
Today, when I leave work, I will stop at a store and pick up a few flowers and instead of driving past the cemetery I will turn in and come visit you. I'm sure your marker is covered with snow and it may take a moment to locate it. But once I do I will brush it off, say a prayer, and leave both the flowers and a small stone to let others know I was there.
Zachary, you are missed by so many people. We all keep your memory in our hearts and will never forget you. Even one year later it brings tears to my eyes when I think about you. Pray for us, little Zachary, and know that you are remembered here as well.
With love, little one,
Your Mother
Thursday, January 07, 2010
First Book of the New Year
I have already finished reading one book this year, and I didn't start it in 2009 either. I only started it a few days ago and I'm already done. Don't be too impressed though, it really was an easy read.
You know how you flip through channels on the TV when you're bored and you come across a Lifetime or Hallmark Channel movie already in progress and you stop. Next thing you know ... you have to see the end. You missed the beginning, it's sappy, and not the kind of movie you would intentionally pick out to watch, but you stick with it anyway. And once it gets to the end, you still have no desire to watch it again ... ever ... even though you never saw the beginning and some of the plot (if there was much of a plot) still didn't make any sense. This is kind of how I felt about this book. Also the reason I read it so fast.
The book is Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. I've never read anything by her before, mostly because I don't read a lot of fiction and when I do I tend not to read chick-lit, which is what this was.
It's a pretty light, easy read. Probably the kind of book that someone would read on vacation at the beach or something. So not the environment I was reading it in! It's the story of two women who were best friends as kids, something happened in high school that caused a falling out, and how they are brought back together in the midst of situation that arises at their high school class reunion. It was one of those stories lines that has two or three different things going on in the present as well as many, many flashbacks. Some chapters are in the first person of the main character (one of the women) and some are in third person where you learn about other characters in the book, and some chapters are in third person and entirely in italics, I guess to set those characters off from the rest of the story. There's a lot of back and forth, but the author handled that well, I was never really confused.
However, I did kind of guess what the plot had in store as it went along. A new character was introduced and I thought, "ah, he's going to be the love interest!" And then another situation is referred to and I thought, "I bet such and such will happen." And every time I was right, no real surprises. But that's typical chick-lit for you. It's supposed to not make you think too hard and just provide an interesting story.
The other thing I didn't like was the treatment of the main character. Her friend was shown as somewhat shallow, out-going, and kind of needy. There always has to be a character that needs "fixing." As the story moved along I wanted the main character to evolve from the mousy, low self-esteem person she was into a more strong, confident person. And she did some, but she still seemed kind of stupid. The big surprise at the end, was not a surprise at all, at least not to me. But it was certainly a surprise to the characters in the book, and I think it was meant to be a surprise to the reader, just not this reader.
One thing I did like about this book was the depiction of my generation. The class reunion that was central to the story line was a Class of '92 reunion. So they are essentially the same age as me (Pope HS class of '93). So the flashbacks to their childhood all sounded familiar, the flashbacks to high school were dead on for those years of the early 90s (clothing, hair styles, etc.), and the present day stuff was very accurate: Internet dating, Google, smartphones, etc. It is rare that I read something and feel like the characters led similar lives to my own and could be living their lives just down the street. It was pretty realistic in that sense.
Like those movies on Hallmark or Lifetime, it was one of those stories that makes you want to keep reading, even though you kind of know how things are going and how it will all turn out. Thus I read it in about three days. And that will probably be it, even if we do end up on a beach somewhere this coming May, I'll probably not be bringing this book along for a re-read.
Next on my list is Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila. Quite a change, for sure.
You know how you flip through channels on the TV when you're bored and you come across a Lifetime or Hallmark Channel movie already in progress and you stop. Next thing you know ... you have to see the end. You missed the beginning, it's sappy, and not the kind of movie you would intentionally pick out to watch, but you stick with it anyway. And once it gets to the end, you still have no desire to watch it again ... ever ... even though you never saw the beginning and some of the plot (if there was much of a plot) still didn't make any sense. This is kind of how I felt about this book. Also the reason I read it so fast.
The book is Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. I've never read anything by her before, mostly because I don't read a lot of fiction and when I do I tend not to read chick-lit, which is what this was.
It's a pretty light, easy read. Probably the kind of book that someone would read on vacation at the beach or something. So not the environment I was reading it in! It's the story of two women who were best friends as kids, something happened in high school that caused a falling out, and how they are brought back together in the midst of situation that arises at their high school class reunion. It was one of those stories lines that has two or three different things going on in the present as well as many, many flashbacks. Some chapters are in the first person of the main character (one of the women) and some are in third person where you learn about other characters in the book, and some chapters are in third person and entirely in italics, I guess to set those characters off from the rest of the story. There's a lot of back and forth, but the author handled that well, I was never really confused.
However, I did kind of guess what the plot had in store as it went along. A new character was introduced and I thought, "ah, he's going to be the love interest!" And then another situation is referred to and I thought, "I bet such and such will happen." And every time I was right, no real surprises. But that's typical chick-lit for you. It's supposed to not make you think too hard and just provide an interesting story.
The other thing I didn't like was the treatment of the main character. Her friend was shown as somewhat shallow, out-going, and kind of needy. There always has to be a character that needs "fixing." As the story moved along I wanted the main character to evolve from the mousy, low self-esteem person she was into a more strong, confident person. And she did some, but she still seemed kind of stupid. The big surprise at the end, was not a surprise at all, at least not to me. But it was certainly a surprise to the characters in the book, and I think it was meant to be a surprise to the reader, just not this reader.
One thing I did like about this book was the depiction of my generation. The class reunion that was central to the story line was a Class of '92 reunion. So they are essentially the same age as me (Pope HS class of '93). So the flashbacks to their childhood all sounded familiar, the flashbacks to high school were dead on for those years of the early 90s (clothing, hair styles, etc.), and the present day stuff was very accurate: Internet dating, Google, smartphones, etc. It is rare that I read something and feel like the characters led similar lives to my own and could be living their lives just down the street. It was pretty realistic in that sense.
Like those movies on Hallmark or Lifetime, it was one of those stories that makes you want to keep reading, even though you kind of know how things are going and how it will all turn out. Thus I read it in about three days. And that will probably be it, even if we do end up on a beach somewhere this coming May, I'll probably not be bringing this book along for a re-read.
Next on my list is Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila. Quite a change, for sure.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
The Epiphany
Did you know that gifts were often exchanged on January 6 and not on Christmas Day? Why? Because that is the date when the Epiphany is celebrated! It is basically the feast day when we celebrate the manifestation of the Lord to the Gentiles, represented by the magi (or kings, wise men) who came to venerate the Christ child.
January 6 is still the Epiphany today, but in many places in the world (the United States included) it is moved to the closest Sunday, which is today!! January 6 is also the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. So Merry Christmas!! This is when many families will start taking Christmas decorations down.
In our house, we don't put the three kings we have into our nativity scene until January 6. We start taking some decorations down, but usually leave the nativity scene up a little longer since it's not even completed until this point. This year we didn't put much up since we were in the middle of a kitchen renovation and were going to be out of town for Christmas. But I had fun last year moving the wise men and the camels around the house, closer and closer to the nativity as we approached the Feast of the Epiphany. I look forward to doing it again next year, and especially when we have kids.
Want to more more about the Epiphany and why we celebrate it, how it came to be a feast day, and more? Check out this page I found with all sorts of interesting facts and history: All About Epiphany.
Happy Epiphany and Merry Christmas!!
January 6 is still the Epiphany today, but in many places in the world (the United States included) it is moved to the closest Sunday, which is today!! January 6 is also the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. So Merry Christmas!! This is when many families will start taking Christmas decorations down.
In our house, we don't put the three kings we have into our nativity scene until January 6. We start taking some decorations down, but usually leave the nativity scene up a little longer since it's not even completed until this point. This year we didn't put much up since we were in the middle of a kitchen renovation and were going to be out of town for Christmas. But I had fun last year moving the wise men and the camels around the house, closer and closer to the nativity as we approached the Feast of the Epiphany. I look forward to doing it again next year, and especially when we have kids.
Want to more more about the Epiphany and why we celebrate it, how it came to be a feast day, and more? Check out this page I found with all sorts of interesting facts and history: All About Epiphany.
Happy Epiphany and Merry Christmas!!
Saturday, January 02, 2010
To Resolve or Not to Resolve
Most years I do not make new year's resolutions; some years I think about it but don't actually make any real "resolutions." This year, I'm going to do it!! Resolutions are being made and hopefully kept! Accountability is important, so here's what my resolutions are for 2010.
First of all, I want to post more on this blog. I enjoy posting reflections and insights into the things happening around me. Even if no one is reading, at least I can look back and see what events have been meaningful in my life. And for those who do read this blog, hopefully I'll be more active this year so you won't forget about me.
Second, my husband and I have resolved to say a daily Rosary together. We've tried this in the past and never gotten past a week; hope we will do better this time! I'd love to get into a better habit of this so that when we do have kids we'll be able to do it with them eventually too.
Third, I want to read more. I have tons of books that I want to read and just never have the time to actually do any reading. When I think about it, I know there is time in the day, I just tend to turn on the TV or read posts on Facebook. As I read I'll post to the blog what I'm reading, favorite passages, interesting things I've learned, etc.
So far the above three resolutions all have to do with my intellectual or spiritual well-being. All good things. What's left? Physical well-being!!
My fourth resolution is NOT going to be the "lose weight" resolution that so many people make (and which is the ONE resolution I often contemplate making). Instead, I am resolving to work on a healthier lifestyle. It would be great if I did lose some weight, but my main goal is to get into a better exercise routine and eat healthier more often. Hopefully, this will lead to a somewhat healthier weight that will also result in a pregnancy this year as well.
2009 taught me that God is control. It's a lesson we all know, but sometimes life's events have a way of proving it very clearly. In 2010 I hope these resolutions will help me to focus on my spiritual, intellectual, and physical well-being. All of these things will hopefully bring me closer to God and help me to allow Him to be in control, as He should be.
What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2010??
First of all, I want to post more on this blog. I enjoy posting reflections and insights into the things happening around me. Even if no one is reading, at least I can look back and see what events have been meaningful in my life. And for those who do read this blog, hopefully I'll be more active this year so you won't forget about me.
Second, my husband and I have resolved to say a daily Rosary together. We've tried this in the past and never gotten past a week; hope we will do better this time! I'd love to get into a better habit of this so that when we do have kids we'll be able to do it with them eventually too.
Third, I want to read more. I have tons of books that I want to read and just never have the time to actually do any reading. When I think about it, I know there is time in the day, I just tend to turn on the TV or read posts on Facebook. As I read I'll post to the blog what I'm reading, favorite passages, interesting things I've learned, etc.
So far the above three resolutions all have to do with my intellectual or spiritual well-being. All good things. What's left? Physical well-being!!
My fourth resolution is NOT going to be the "lose weight" resolution that so many people make (and which is the ONE resolution I often contemplate making). Instead, I am resolving to work on a healthier lifestyle. It would be great if I did lose some weight, but my main goal is to get into a better exercise routine and eat healthier more often. Hopefully, this will lead to a somewhat healthier weight that will also result in a pregnancy this year as well.
2009 taught me that God is control. It's a lesson we all know, but sometimes life's events have a way of proving it very clearly. In 2010 I hope these resolutions will help me to focus on my spiritual, intellectual, and physical well-being. All of these things will hopefully bring me closer to God and help me to allow Him to be in control, as He should be.
What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2010??
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year
As the hours of 2009 wane and 2010 approaches, just wanted to say: Happy New Year to one and all. This year has certainly had its challenges. I don't know what 2010 will bring, but I certainly hope that it'll be better than 2009 in many respects.
Our New Years Eve was spent with friends we've known for a long time. With everyone married and so many children we don't get together very often. It was wonderful to do that and awesome that we all were able to be there. And our hostess announced another pregnancy as well! So we know there will be at least one more child added to our gang in 2010. I'm praying there will more! It was a wonderful night with a wonderful group of people. And because everyone has small children the party wrapped up around 8:30pm. Even though we don't have kids, that worked out well for us too!
Our 2010 will begin with Mass early in the morning. January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation to celebrate Mary's title of Mother of God. For me this year, at this Mass in particular, I will definitely be thinking about that title a lot. And praying too that I may be able to gain the title of mother sometime between now and the end of this new year. I am mother to two saints in heaven, but I hope to be able to have that title here on Earth too. Lots to pray for!!
Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone has a great 2010 and, if you make any resolutions, that you are successful in those. I'm making a few myself, but I'll save those for a future post! Happy 2010!!
Our New Years Eve was spent with friends we've known for a long time. With everyone married and so many children we don't get together very often. It was wonderful to do that and awesome that we all were able to be there. And our hostess announced another pregnancy as well! So we know there will be at least one more child added to our gang in 2010. I'm praying there will more! It was a wonderful night with a wonderful group of people. And because everyone has small children the party wrapped up around 8:30pm. Even though we don't have kids, that worked out well for us too!
Our 2010 will begin with Mass early in the morning. January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation to celebrate Mary's title of Mother of God. For me this year, at this Mass in particular, I will definitely be thinking about that title a lot. And praying too that I may be able to gain the title of mother sometime between now and the end of this new year. I am mother to two saints in heaven, but I hope to be able to have that title here on Earth too. Lots to pray for!!
Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone has a great 2010 and, if you make any resolutions, that you are successful in those. I'm making a few myself, but I'll save those for a future post! Happy 2010!!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to one and all. After a very good Advent it was wonderful to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas Eve Mass. Christmas Eve was spent with my sister's family where we enjoyed dinner together, opened up our annual ornament gifts, and had a wonderful dessert.
Christmas morning we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast made by my brother the chef, who had the day off from his restaurant. My sister showed up later in the morning and we got to open gifts and watch my 4-year-old niece get sooooo excited about all the princess stuff she got. She showed us the Snow White dress Santa brought her and was very excited to get a series of Disney princess dolls (about 7 or 8 of them!). It's so much fun to do Christmas with little ones, they are so fun to watch!!
We have had a wonderful Christmas visiting with my family down south. And this year I'm trying to remember that Christmas is just beginning. The twelve days of Christmas started on Saturday and I love that we will continue singing Christmas hymns at church for the next two weeks and the church will remain decorated for Christmas all the way to January 10. I love the Catholic church! We try to celebrate the big events in seasons, not days. How fun! I'm looking forward to seeing our church decorated for Christmas after we get back home.
Merry Christmas and Happy Third Day of Christmas to everyone!
Christmas morning we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast made by my brother the chef, who had the day off from his restaurant. My sister showed up later in the morning and we got to open gifts and watch my 4-year-old niece get sooooo excited about all the princess stuff she got. She showed us the Snow White dress Santa brought her and was very excited to get a series of Disney princess dolls (about 7 or 8 of them!). It's so much fun to do Christmas with little ones, they are so fun to watch!!
We have had a wonderful Christmas visiting with my family down south. And this year I'm trying to remember that Christmas is just beginning. The twelve days of Christmas started on Saturday and I love that we will continue singing Christmas hymns at church for the next two weeks and the church will remain decorated for Christmas all the way to January 10. I love the Catholic church! We try to celebrate the big events in seasons, not days. How fun! I'm looking forward to seeing our church decorated for Christmas after we get back home.
Merry Christmas and Happy Third Day of Christmas to everyone!
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